Amid violence, Jharkhand witnesses brisk polling

Jharkhand is witnessing brisk polling amid violence on Saturday for the second phase of the Assembly polls.

Till 11 a.m. Jharkhand witnessed 28.51 per cent voting. The highest voting has been recorded at Majhgao assembly seat with 36.73 per cent.

The polling which started at 7 a.m. will end at 3 p.m. The voting however for the two Assembly seats, Jamshedpur East and Jamshedpur West, will conclude at 5 p.m.

For the 20 Assembly seats, where voting is underway, the fate of 260 candidates will be decided by 48,25,038 voters including 23,93,437 women. Voting is taking place in 6,066 polling booths of which 1,016 are located in urban areas and the rest in rural areas.

Police sources said that more than 40,000 security forces have been deployed for the second phase of voting which is largely taking place in Maoist-infested areas.

In poll related violence, one youth was killed in police firing and six including three policemen were injured in Sisai constituency of Gumla district. Maoist Guerrillas also set on fire a polling bus in West Singhbhum district.

Of the 20 seats, 16 are reserved for the Schedule Tribe (ST) and one for the Schedule Caste (SC).

Chief Minister Raghubar Das is contesting from the Jamshedpur East seat, where he is pitted against former cabinet colleague Saryu Rai and Congress spokesperson Gaurabh Vallabh.

Also in the fray in this phase are Jharkhand Assembly Speaker Dinesh Oraon, Urban Development Minister Neelkanth Singh Munda, Water Resources Minister Ramchandra Sahis, former cabinet minister Saryu Rai and state BJP President Laxman Giluwa.

Jailed Maoist commander Kunadan Pahan is fighting from the Tamar Assembly seat. Kundan Pahan is locked in triangular fight with AJSU candiate Vikas Munda and former jailed Minister Gopal Krishna alias Raja Peter.

Of the 20 constituencies, the fight is triangular on at least seven Assembly seats and the direct fight between the BJP and the Congress-JMM-RJD alliance in rest of them.

Chief Minister Raghubar Das cast his vote in his Assembly constituency Jamshedpur East earlier on Saturday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister have appealed to the voters to come out in large numbers to exercise their franchise.IANS