Patna (PTI): A total of 27.65 per cent of 3.75 crore voters exercised their franchise till 11 am in the first phase of the Bihar assembly elections on Thursday, an official said.

Begusarai district recorded the highest polling percentage so far at 30.37, followed by Lakhisarai (30.32) and Gopalganj (30.04).

Opposition RJD, in an X post, alleged, "During the voting in the first phase, electricity is being cut off intermittently at the strong booths of the Mahagathbandhan with the intention of slowing down the voting. Slow voting is being deliberately caused. Please, the Election Commission, take immediate cognisance of such rigging with 'malicious intent' and 'malafide intentions' and take prompt action."

Bihar Chief Electoral Office, however, dismissed the allegations, saying, "This allegation is completely baseless and misleading. Voting is taking place smoothly at all polling stations in Bihar. The Election Commission of India is following all standard protocols to ensure that the voting process is fair, transparent, and uninterrupted. There is no basis for such misleading propaganda."

Senior politicians, including Bihar Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, INDIA bloc's CM candidate Tejashwi Yadav, VIP chief Mukesh Sahani, and Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan' were among those who cast their votes in the first few hours of voting.

Voting began at 7 am for 121 seats amid tight security arrangements, an official said, adding it will continue till 5 pm.

In the first phase, a total of 3.75 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of 1,314 candidates, including top leaders such as Tejashwi Yadav and Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary of the BJP.

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Kumbakonam (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): A Class 12 student of a government school near here has succumbed to his injuries early Sunday morning after he was allegedly attacked by a group of Class 11 students, police said.

Fourteen class 11 students of Government Arignar Anna Model Higher Secondary School in Patteeswaram allegedly attacked their senior student on December 4, following a clash between their respective classes, they added.

The accused students hit the boy on the head with a wooden stick, leaving him seriously injured, police said.

The boy’s parents rushed to the school on being informed and admitted him to the Government Hospital in Kumbakonam. He was later shifted to a private hospital in Thanjavur for further treatment, police said. He had to be operated on to remove the blood clot in his brain.

On Sunday, around 2.30 am, he succumbed to his injuries, police confirmed. The 14 accused have been arrested and lodged in a juvenile home.

Patteeswaram Police said they had initially registered an attempt to murder case. "After post-mortem, we’ll alter it into a murder case," an official said.