Ranchi: Amid Maoists' call for poll boycott,
elaborate security arrangements including air surveillance
have been put in place for the second phase of elections to 14
assembly seats, most of them Naxal-hit, in Jharkhand tomorrow.
"There will be helicopter surveillance while adequate
security forces are there at all sensitive booths," Inspector
General of Police V H Deshmukh told PTI here today.
A total of 30,96,854 electorates are eligible for voting
in Kodarma, Barhi, Mandu, Ramgarh, Gandey, Giridih, Dumri,
Gomia, Tamar, Silli, Khijri, Mandar, Khunti and Pakur.
Except Pakur, all other seats have Maoist presence.
Polling for Barkatha, which was also scheduled for
tomorrow, was tagged for December 18 in fifth phase polling
after it was countermanded following the death of a BJP
candidate.
Jharkhand is going for a five-phase polling to elect 81
members.
Former Ministers Bandhu Tirkey (Mandar), Chandraprakash
Choudhary (Ramgarh) and Sudesh Mahato (Silli) are prominent
among a total of 259 candidates.
While Congress brought film actress Nagma and cricketer
Mohd Azharuddin as star campaingers for the second phase
polling, the BJP had the services of Shatrughan Sinha and
Smriti Irani.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 02, 2009, 00:21