Amid tight security, the first phase of polls in the tribal dominated Jharkhand State will be held on Tuesday in 13 constituencies. Altogether, 199 candidates are in the fray and 35,425 security personnel have been deployed at 3,900 polling booths in the constituencies.
The constituencies going to the polls are Garhwa, Bhavnathpur, Daltonganj, Chatra, Latehar, Gumla, Lohardaga, Manika, Bishunpur, Panki, Bishrampur, Chhatarpur and Hussainabad. Polling will begin at 7 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. for security reasons.
In the first phase of polling, the BJP has fielded 12 candidates leaving one seat of Lohardaga to its alliance partner AJSU. The RJD is contesting seven seats in alliance with the JD (U) and the Congress. The ruling party JMM is contesting 12 seats while the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) has fielded candidates for 11 seats. The JVM is supporting Trinamool Congress candidates in Gumla and Manika.
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Following intelligence inputs, security agencies were put on high alert to thwart any attack by Maoists to derail the polls.
Maoists have called for a boycott on the polls in Jharkhand.