Mock poll concludes; voting begins as Bihar goes to elections in Phase-1
New Delhi (PTI): The Election Commission on Thursday announced that mock polls at all polling stations across the 121 constituencies in Bihar that are part of the first phase of the elections have concluded.
During the mock poll, representatives of the candidates were present, and the process included verifying the votes cast on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) against the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips, the commission added.
This mock poll is conducted to ensure that the EVMs are functioning correctly. The exercise aims to build confidence among parties in the machines, which have faced scrutiny regarding their reliability.
Additionally, the data is erased before polling begins.
Meanwhile, polling has commenced at all polling stations in the respective constituencies, the Election Commission announced.
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Massive fire destroys 10 fishing boats in Kerala's Kollam
Kollam (Kerala) (PTI): Around 10 fishing boats, anchored in Ashtamudi Lake here, were gutted as a massive fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday, police said.
The incident happened in the Kureepuzha area under the Anchalumood police station limit.
According to police, the blaze was first spotted past midnight, and the boats anchored in a row caught fire.
Local people and fire force personnel pressed into action to check the further spread.
"As per the preliminary assessment, around 10 boats were destroyed completely. The exact cause is yet to be identified, but a gas cylinder blast is suspected," a police officer said.
No casualty has been reported so far, police added.
