The Hindu : National : 14 candidates externed in Bihar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 23, 2005

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National

14 candidates externed in Bihar

By K. Balchand

— Photo: Ranjeet Kumar

ON THE GUARD: Securitymen on patrol in Patna on Tuesday, the eve of the third phase of the Bihar Assembly elections.

PATNA, FEB. 22. Three more MPs, including the Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, have been externed from their respective districts on the eve of the third phase of polling in 93 constituencies in Bihar tomorrow.

The East Champaran district authorities directed Mr. Singh not to be present in the district during the polling process tomorrow. Similarly, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP, Raghunath Jha, has been asked to keep away from West Champaran and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP, Suraj Bhan Singh, from Patna district.

Two candidates from the Kateya constituency in Gopalganj have also been ordered out of the district, one of whom has been detained under the Crime Control Act.

Two LJP candidates, contesting the elections from prison, have been shifted to jails outside their districts. They are Rajan Tiwari and Dhoomal Singh, contesting from the Govindganj constituency in East Champaran district and the Baniyapur constituency in Gopalganj district. An independent contesting from behind the bars in the Mashrakh constituency too has been shifted to a different prison.

The number of such candidates and leaders who have been debarred entry in their respective constituency or district has gone up to 14 so far.

Shoot-at-sight orders

The Election Commission has ensured the deployment of over 450 companies of para-military forces for maintaining law and order during the polling process tomorrow. Shoot-at-sight orders have been issued to prevent booth capturing and disturbance in the election process.

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