Patna, Oct 13 (IANS): The Bihar elections have drawn thousands of migrants to visit the state from far and wide to exercise their franchise this time, a trend perhaps not been visible with such an enthusiam earlier.

Mohammed Atiqur Rahman from Saudi Arabia is one of them.

Mr Rahman says he visited his native village from Saudi Arabia to cast his vote in the first of the five-phased assembly polls on Monday.

A resident of Samastipur district, Mr Rahman said he spent Rs.2 lakh to visit home to vote. He finally voted at polling booth number 154 in Samastipur.

Mr Rahman, who has been working in Saudi Arabia's capital city of Riyadh for last 15 years as a salesman in a furniture company, said: "I felt it as my duty as well as right to cast my vote after I heard about Bihar polls."

Around 57 per cent of 13.5 million electorate voted in 49 of the 243 constituencies in the first round of battle for political power in Bihar that passed off peacefully on Monday.

It marked the start of an intense five-phase contest that will conclude on November 5 for which counting will take place on November 8.