Ranchi, April 24 (IANS) The third and final round of polling in Jharkhand witnessed a good turnout of voters as the state registered 63.55 percent voting Thursday.
"Overall ballot percentage in Jharkhand in the third and final phase of poll is 63.55 percent. The polling output in Dumka and Dhanbad was 64 percent and 62 percent respectively," Jharkhand Chief Election Commissioner P.K. Jajorioa told reporters.
Long queues of voters were seen in Dumka, Pakur, Dhanbad, Deoghar and other places.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren cast his vote in Bokaro district. Young voters also turned up in large numbers.
Polling began at 7 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m. in the four Lok Sabha constituencies of Dhanbad, Dumka, Rajmahal and Godda.
In 2009, the JMM won the Dumka seat while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wrested the remaining three seats.
An electorate of over 61 lakh voted to decide the fate of 72 candidates at 7,489 polling stations, of which 2,439 were categorized as sensitive and 1,154 highly sensitive.
A total of 415 booths were declared model polling stations. As many as 400 polling stations were connected through webcasting, 1,015 through video and 1,954 had still cameras, an official said.
About 45,000 security personnel, including Central Reserve Police Force, Jharkhand Jaguar, Indian Reserve Battalion, state police and home guards were deployed.
All eyes are on Dumka where former chief minister and president of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) Babulal Marandi and another former chief minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren are locked in a fight.
Both leaders have a large following in the tribal community.
Coal city Dhanbad is witnessing a three-cornered battle between incumbent BJP MP P.N. Singh, Congress' Ajay Dubey and the TMC's Chandra Shekhar Dubey.
Godda is also seeing a triangular contest between sitting BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, Congress' Furkan Ansari and JVM-P legislator Pradeep Yadav. The fourth key candidate is former IPS official Subodh Prasad who is fighting on the All Jharkhand Students' Union (AJSU) ticket.
In Rajmahal, the BJP has fielded Hemlal Murmu who was a JMM legislator and quit membership of the assembly just before the polls, while the JMM has fielded Vijay Hansda who also joined the party just before the election.
Cracks have appeared in 23 more houses in Joshimath. Till Tuesday, the survey team has a cross ma
Is Putin's statement on the Taliban a setback for India?
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said it is possible to remove the Taliban from the list of t
Sudhir Naik demise: Former opener of Indian team passed away, cricket world mourned
Sudhir Naik, the former opener of the Indian team and coach of Zaheer Khan, died in a hospital in
A picture of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and his daughter is going viral on social media. T
The Israeli army has intensified attacks on the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces on Sunday targeted a r
Google Pixel 4A launched in India, what is the price, this phone is a direct competition
Google has launched its latest smartphone Google Pixel 4A in India. This phone was launched globa
South cinema's veteran actor Kamal Haasan has once again come under controversy. Some time ago, h
The central government decided to reduce the interest rates on small savings on the last day of t
Ram Rahim Singh Said: Dera will support BJP in Delhi Assembly polls
Take Rs.41,000, forget rape: Panchayat tells victim
Patna, Jan 31 (IANS) In a shocking incident, a panchayat in Bihar has ordered one of its member
