The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Monday urged the Election Commission (EC) to complete the polling process for the assembly elections by the first week of December, allowing the current government to fulfill its full term.
In contrast, the main opposition party, the BJP, called for the elections to be held in a single phase and requested that home secretary Vandana Dadel be exempt from election duties.
Earlier in the day, a team from the EC, led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, visited Ranchi to assess preparations for the upcoming assembly polls and held its first meeting with various political parties.
JMM representatives, including MLA Sudivya Kumar and central spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya, presented the party's concerns to the commission.
"The fifth Jharkhand assembly elections were completed on December 23, 2019, and the government was formed on December 29. Therefore, if the sixth assembly elections are finished by the first week of December, the current government will have the opportunity to complete its full term," the JMM added.
The party also urged the EC to prevent leaders from making speeches that invoke religion or caste during the campaign, citing concerns about communal polarisation.
"BJP leaders have been making such speeches since August, creating divisions in society. It is your responsibility to ensure that communal polarisation does not occur, allowing people to vote freely and without fear," the JMM representatives told the EC.
Meanwhile, BJP's state vice-president Rakesh Prasad and legal cell coordinator Sudhir Shrivastave shared their party's demands with the commission.
They requested that the assembly polls be conducted in one phase, citing a decline in Maoist activity in the state. Additionally, they called for home secretary Vandana Dadel to be removed from election-related duties to ensure a free and fair election.
Prasad emphasised the need to keep infiltrators away from voting in Jharkhand's Santhal Pargana region. The Congress also echoed the call for the elections to be held in one phase and requested timely scheduling, taking into account upcoming festivals.
After meeting with political parties, the Commission convened with various central and state enforcement agencies—including the income tax, excise, GST, reserve bank, forest, transport, civil aviation, and narcotics departments—to review their action plans.
Jharkhand CEO K Ravi Kumar said the Election Commission team would hold meetings with the commissioners of all divisions, zonal IGs, district election officers, all DIGs and superintendents of police on Tuesday.
In 2019, elections to 81 assembly seats were held in five phases between November 30 and December 20, and the results were declared on December 23.
