Lok Sabha polls: Indo-Nepal border in Bihar's Supaul sealed for 72 hours ahead of thrid phase

Supaul (Bihar) [India], May 6 : The Indo-Nepal border area in Supaul district of Bihar has been sealed for 72 hours in view of the third phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 7, said Sashastra Seema Bal.
"The Supaul district administration has directed us to seal the Indo-Nepal border area for 72 hours to ensure the Lok Sabha election happens peacefully and no law and order situation occurs. Essential services won't be affected, and the movement of ambulances is also excluded," JK Sharma, Action Commandent Officer, 45th BN SSB Birpur, Bihar, told ANI.
Supaul is among the five Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar that will vote in the third phase on May 7. The other four are Araria, Madhepura, Khagaria and Jhanjharpur.
Supaul Lok Sabha constituency, which has been considered a stronghold of the socialists for a long time, is set for a keen contest as RJD has fielded its candidate after 25 years since the 1998 Lok Sabha polls against sitting MP and JD-U leader Dileshwar Kamait.
The National Democratic Alliance has reposed faith in sitting MP and JDU leader Dileshwar Kamait, whereas the RJD has fielded Chandrahas Chaupal, its MLA from the Singheshwar (SC) seat.
Chaupal, an RJD MLA from Singheshwar Assembly constituency, is trying his luck for the first time to reach Parliament.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed a public meeting in Supaul on Thursday.
During his public meeting in Supaul, Singh said, "Congress-RJD have lost their credibility and it will be a dream for them to win any seat in Bihar. The people who are accused of corruption are claiming to develop Bihar."
"Whether it was the Atal ji government or the Modi ji government, not a single Minister indulged in corruption," he said.
In 2014, Kamait lost to Congress candidate Ranjeeta Ranjan, the wife of former MP Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav. The BJP's Kameshwar Chaupal finished third, despite the strong Modi wave for change. However, after losing in the 2014 polls, Kamait avenged his defeat at the hands of Ranjeet Ranjan in 2019.
The 40 seats in Bihar are undergoing polls in all seven phases. In 2019, the BJP-led NDA swept the state by winning 39 out of 40 seats, while Congress won just one seat. RJD, a formidable force in the state, failed to open its account.
Supaul has voted aggressively in the last two parliamentary elections. The voter turnout in Supaul was 63.62 per cent in 2014 and 65.77 per cent in 2019.