Jharkhand sees 30 percent polling, Maoists kill one (Second Lead)
December 18th, 2009 - 2:30 pm ICT by IANSRanchi, Dec 18 (IANS) The fifth and final phase of the Jharkhand assembly elections saw a 28 to 30 percent turnout till noon Friday, an election commission official said. Voting began on a violent note as one security official was killed and two others were injured in a landmine blast and a school was blown up by Maoist guerrillas.
The highest polling, of 37 percent, has been reported in Chaibasa assembly constituency.
“One security official was killed and two were injured around 6.30 a.m. when Maoist rebels detonated a landmine near Mahur village in Palamau district,” Jharkhand police spokesperson V.H. Deshmukh told IANS.
In another incident, a government high school under Gomia police station in Bokaro district was blasted late Thursday. Seven rooms of the school were damaged in the blast. Polling concluded in Gomia Dec 8.
In the fifth and last phase of polls, voting began at 7 a.m. for 16 of the 81 assembly seats. In this phase, a total of 290 candidates are in the fray.
Around 75,000 security forces, including paramilitary forces, have been deployed to ensure peaceful polling. Six helicopters are also being used for air surveillance. The 16 constituencies where voting is taking place are Chatra, Latehar, Simaria, Panki, Bishrampur, Hussainabad, Chhatarpur, Garwah, Bhavnathpur, Manika, Chaibasa, Barkatha, Jagannathpur, Sareikella, Kharsawan and Daltonganj.
The key candidates in the last phase include jailed ex-minister Kamlesh Singh, another ex-minister facing graft charges Bhanu Pratap Sahi, and Geeta Koda, wife of former state chief minister Madhu Koda.
Counting of votes will take place Dec 23.
- Landmine blast as round 5 of Jharkhand polls begin (Lead) - Dec 18, 2009
- Jharkhand sees 55 percent polling, Maoists kill two (Third Lead) - Dec 18, 2009
- Voting begins for final phase of polling in Jharkhand - Dec 18, 2009
- Madhu Koda's wife optimistic, says corruption charges would not affect her votes - Dec 18, 2009
- Campaigning ends for fifth phase of Jharkhand polls - Dec 16, 2009
- Maoists blow up landmine in poll-bound Jharkhand - Dec 18, 2009
- Violence, 58 percent ballot mark Jharkhand poll (Fourth Lead) - Dec 18, 2009
- Voting begins for final phase of Jharkhand assembly polls - Dec 18, 2009
- Polls in eight booths monitored live through web cams - Dec 18, 2009
- Jharkhand records over 58 percent vote in five phases - Dec 18, 2009
- Prominent winners and losers in Jharkhand assembly polls - Dec 23, 2009
- Several jailed and tainted ex ministers in Jharkhand poll fray - Nov 15, 2009
- Jailed legislators helped Congress: BJP - May 03, 2012
- Jharkhand polls: 35 percent voting recorded till noon - Dec 18, 2009
- Koda's wife to fight Jharkhand assembly poll - Nov 09, 2009
Tags: air surveillance, assembly elections, assembly seats, blast polling, deshmukh, final phase, geeta, government high school, graft charges, kamlesh, koda, landmine blast, maoist, maoist guerrillas, maoists, paramilitary forces, police spokesperson, pratap, sahi, security official