PM Modi urges people to vote in large numbers in third phase of Jharkhand Assembly polls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday has urged the people of Jharkhand to vote in large numbers as the state will be voting in the third of the five-phases of the state Assembly elections. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said that the third phase of Jharkhand polls will take place today. He appealed all the people whose seats go to the polls today to vote in large numbers. He particularly urged his "young friends" to vote.

The fate of 309 candidates will be decided by 56,18,267 electorate

About 40,000 polling personnel have been deputed to conduct smooth and peaceful voting in the third of the five-phase polling for seventeen assembly constituencies on Thursday, Jharkhand Chief Election Officer Vinay Kumar Choubey said on Wednesday. He said security forces have also been deployed in the constituencies that will witness voting on December 12. The fate of 309 candidates, including 32 women nominees, will be decided by 56,18,267 electorate, the CEO told a press conference in Ranchi. The electorate includes a total of 26,80,205 women and 86 third gender voters.

The voting will commence at 7 am and end at 5 pm at Ranchi, Hatia, Kanke, Barkatha and Ramgarh seats while voters in the rest of the constituencies can exercise franchise between 7 am and 3 pm. The constituencies, including two reserved for SC candidates and one ST candidate, going to vote on Thursday are spread over eight districts. The seats where polling will be held are Kodarma, Barkatha, Barhi, Barkagaon, Ramgarh, Mandu, Hazaribag, Simaria (SC), Dhanwar, Gomia, Bermo, Ichagarh, Silli, Khijri (ST), Ranchi, Hatia and Kanke (SC), an EC release said.

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Key candidates in the electoral battle

Among the candidates, former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi, Urban Development Minister C P Singh and Education Minister Neera Yadav are in the electoral battle. While Marandi, the president of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), is fighting Dhanwar seat, Singh and Yadav are contesting from Ranchi and Kodarma constituencies respectively. Former deputy chief minister and AJSU party president Sudesh Mahto is trying his luck to regain Silli seat after he lost the 2014 assembly polls and the subsequent bypoll to JMM candidates Amit Mahato and his wife Seema Mahato respectively.

The BJP has not fielded candidates from Silli though the NDA allies are fighting the polls separately, for the first time since the creation of the state. The first-phase polling for 13 seats and the second-phase for 20 assembly segments had concluded on November 30 and December 7 respectively. The fourth and the fifth phases polling for 15 and 16 seats will be held on December 16 and 20 respectively. Counting to the 81-member House is slated on December 23.

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(With PTI inputs)