Bihar floods: More than 73 lakh people across 16 districts affected
Patna: Swollen rivers, originating in Nepal and flowing through north Bihar, continued to wreak havoc on Saturday when more areas and inhabitants were hit by the floods raising the number of people affected by the calamity to over 73 lakh, said the disaster management department.
According to the department's bulletin, the size of the affected population grew by two lakh since the previous day though no loss of lives was reported during the period and the death toll remained stable at 23. The number of panchayats affected, till date, was 1223, a rise of 24 since Friday.
Altogether 16 districts of the state have been reeling under floods caused by rivers like Kosi, Bagmati, Kareh, Kamla Balan, Gandak and Budhi Gandak, etc.
Darbhanga has been the worst hit, accounting for nine casualties and having 20 lakh of its residents affected.
Six deaths have been reported from Muzaffarpur where 14.10 lakh people are marooned. The remaining fatalities have taken place in West Champaran (four) and Saran and Sawan (two each).
East Champaran occupies the third position in terms of affected population (10.14 lakh) though it has suffered no loss of human life. The district, however, accounts for the maximum number of deaths of cattle (18) caused by floods which has killed 63 animals.
Other troubled districts are Sitamarhi, Supaul, Sheohar, Samastipur, Khagaria, Gopalganj, Kishanganj, Madhubani, Madhepura and Saharsa.
Water resources department minister Sanjay Kumar Jha toured Samastipur and Darbhanga to take stock of embankments along the rivers and other flood prevention works. Relief and rescue operations are in full swing with 23 NDRF teams, besides 10 of the SDRF, involved in the efforts.
According to Vijay Sinha, commandant of the NDRF 9th Battalion stationed at Bihta, near Patna, "our men have rescued more than 11,700 people till date. We have been paying particular attention to those in need of immediate medical attention like a sick infant whom our men picked up, along with his family members, around midnight.
"He was taken from his marooned village to the nearest hospital where timely intervention saved his life.
The relief measures in place also include 1342 community kitchens where 9.86 people were being fed besides seven relief camps where nearly 12,000 people evacuated from their habitats are taking shelter. The total number of people evacuated from the badly affected areas was 5.08 lakh, said the department.
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2nd phase of Bengal poll: 39.97 per cent polling till 11 am amid sporadic violence
Kolkata (PTI): Nearly 40 per cent of the 3.21 crore electors voted till 11 am of the second phase of polling in West Bengal amid sporadic violence, while tension gripped the Bhabanipur seat briefly as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari took swipes at one another in the same booth area.
Voters queued up from 7 am outside booths in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Bardhaman districts, which form Bengal's electoral and political core.
Of the total electorate eligible to vote in this phase, 1.57 crore are women, and 792 are third-gender.
Till 11 am, West Bengal recorded 39.97 per cent polling with Purba Bardhaman registering the highest turnout at 44.50 per cent, followed by Hooghly at 43.12 per cent and Nadia at 40.34 per cent.
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Howrah recorded 39.45 per cent polling, while North 24 Parganas registered 38.43 per cent. Kolkata North and Kolkata South recorded 38.39 per cent and 36.78 per cent turnout, respectively.
South 24 Parganas, a politically crucial district witnessing several high-profile contests, recorded 37.9 per cent voting.
The first phase of polls in 152 Assembly seats of West Bengal on April 23 also recorded more than 41 per cent polling till 11 am.
"Polling is underway peacefully, barring some minor incidents in certain areas. We have sought reports from the officials concerned," a poll panel official said.
The early-morning convergence of Banerjee and Adhikari at the same booth area in Chakraberia turned Bhabanipur -- the chief minister's electoral bastion -- into the centrepiece of the day, reinforcing the symbolic weight of their prestige battle seen as a rematch of Nandigram, where the BJP leader had defeated her in 2021.
Banerjee was already seated outside the booth after receiving complaints of alleged intimidation of local TMC leaders when Adhikari arrived there amid heavy deployment of central forces.
Stepping out of his car, Adhikari declared, "I will not allow any hooliganism", while Banerjee accused the BJP of trying to "rig" the election using central forces, police observers and election officials.
"BJP wants to rig this election. Polls in Bengal are usually peaceful. Is there goonda raj here?" Banerjee told reporters, alleging CRPF personnel had visited the homes of TMC leaders late Tuesday night and unleashed terror in the area.
She alleged that election observers were acting at the BJP's behest and claimed TMC workers were being selectively targeted across districts.
Adhikari dismissed the charges as signs of "frustration", claiming Banerjee had realised that "not a single vote" was coming her way.
Banerjee, who usually steps out of her Kalighat residence late in the day to cast her vote at Mitra Institution School, broke convention and hit the ground before 8 am, moving through Chetla, Padmapukur and Chakraberia, underlining the stakes attached to Bhabanipur and the wider battle for south Bengal.
Reports of violence, vandalism and tension surfaced from several districts.
In Nadia district's Chapra, a BJP polling agent was allegedly assaulted inside a booth during a mock poll. The BJP accused TMC supporters of attacking its agent, while the ruling party denied the charge. In Shantipur, a BJP camp office was found vandalised.
In South 24 Pargana's Bhangar, the ISF alleged that its polling agents were prevented from entering booths.
Howrah's Bally constituency saw tension at a booth in Liluah after an EVM malfunction delayed voting, prompting central forces to lathi-charge agitated voters. Two people were arrested in the matter.
Police and RAF personnel were also seen chasing away crowds near a booth in Amdanga following complaints of unlawful gathering by bike-borne supporters.
In Panihati, BJP candidate Ratna Debnath, the mother of the RG Kar victim, faced protests and her car was allegedly stopped by TMC workers, while in Jagaddal, the recovery of a firearm near a polling booth triggered tension before police and central forces restored order.
BJP candidate from Basanti assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas, Bikash Sardar, on Wednesday, alleged that "200-250 TMC goons" attacked his car and assaulted his driver when he was visiting polling booths in the constituency.
The TMC did not immediately respond to the allegations.
Unlike the first phase, where the BJP sought to defend its north Bengal gains, the final round has shifted the battle squarely to the TMC's strongest belt.
In 2021, the ruling party had won 123 of these 142 seats, leaving just 18 for the BJP and one for the ISF. For the BJP, breaching this southern fortress remains critical if it hopes to mount a serious challenge for power in the state.
