Ranchi, Dec 6 (IANS) Senior political leaders like the BJP’s Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj and Raman Singh and the RJD’s Lalu Prasad addressed rallies in Jharkhand as campaigning for the third phase of assembly polls ended Sunday.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitely also campaigned for the party.

The third phase of elections is on Dec 8. Campaigning ended at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad and Union Minister for State for Home Ajay Maken of the Congress also hit the campaign trail.

While Sushma Swaraj campaigned at Chakulia, Bagbera and Ichagarh, Raman Singh addressed rallies at Bermo, Jama and Simdega. Lalu Prasad was campaigning at Dumka and Ajay Maken spoke in favour of Congress candidates at Gumla and Manoharpur.

Eleven of the 81 assembly constituencies will go to polls Dec 8. The assembly seats to which elections will be held are Bermo, Bokaro, Chankyarai, Dhanwar, Bagodar, Jamua, Hazaribagh, Shikaruipara, Dumka, Jarmundi and Jama.

In third phase, 273 candidates are in the fray whose fate will be decided by 2,541,042 voters.

The key contestants are former deputy chief minister Stephen Marandi, a Congress nominee, pitted against Hemant Soren, who is a Rajya Sabha member and son of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren. Both are contesting from Dumka seat.

Stephen was in the JMM till 2005. He revolted against the party and fought as an independent in the 2005 assembly poll.

In Bokaro, Shailendra Mahto, an accused in the infamous JMM bribery case, and former minister Samresh Singh are fighting the election. Mahto is contesting on a Janata Dal-United (JD-U) ticket and Singh is from the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajantantrik (JVM-P) floated by former chief minister Babulal Marandi.

Mahto later quit the JMM and joined the BJP. He fought the Lok Sabha election this year as a All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) candidate from Jamshedpur. Samresh had fought the Lok sabha election on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket from Dhanbad and he is now a JVM-P nominee.

In the first and second phase of elections, polling took place in 26 and 14 constituencies Nov 25 and Dec 2 respectively. The five phase polling ends Dec 18 and votes will be counted Dec 23.