The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for holding Phase I of the five-phase State Assembly elections in Jharkhand this Wednesday for 26 seats campaigning for which ended at 3 p.m. on Monday.
The polling will be held between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. and elaborate security arrangements are in place to meet any situation in view of threat from Maoists.
The constituencies that will go to the polls in Phase I are: Ranchi, Dhanbad, Rajmahal, Borio (Scheduled Tribes), Barhait (ST), Litipara (ST), Pakaur, Maheshpur (ST), Poreyahat, Nala, Jamtara, Madhupur, Sarath, Deogarh (Scheduled Castes), Godda, Mahagama, Hatia, Kanke (SC), Jugsalai (SC), Jamshedpur East, Jamshedpur West, Sindri, Nirsa, Jharia, Tundi and Baghmara.
Originally the Election Commission had planned to hold the poll in 30 constituencies in Phase I . But since there were lapses by the Returning Officers and the District Election Officer in issuing nomination forms of the Hindi version to the contestants, the polls in Sikaripara (ST), Dumka (ST), Jama (ST) and Jarmundi constituencies were rescinded by the State Governor, K. Sankaranarayanan, on the recommendation of the Election Commission. Polling in these four constituencies in Dumka district will be held along with the third phase of elections due on December 8.
Meanwhile, the Returning Officer for the Barkantha seat in Hazaribagh district has adjourned the poll in the constituency, scheduled for December 2 in Phase II, due to the death of the BJP candidate, Chitranjan Yadav. Now the Election Commission will issue notice to the BJP asking it to nominate another candidate. The poll in Barkantha will be held on December 18 in Phase V.
