The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday issued notification for the fourth and penultimate phase of polls in Jharkhand for 15 Assembly segments. The constituencies will go to polls on December 16, only a week before the final counting of votes for the 81 Assembly segments in Jharkhand.
Chief Electoral Officer Vinay Kumar Choubey on Friday said that the final date of filing nomination for the 15 constituencies is November 29. The nominations will be scrutinized on November 30 and candidates may withdraw their nominations by December 2, he added. “Candidates can start filing nomination for the fourth phase of elections from today,” said Choubey.
As many as 47, 81,422 electors are enrolled to cast their votes at 6101 polling stations spread across four districts—Deoghar, Giridih, Bokaro and Dhanbad—in the fourth phase of polls here.
The 15 constituencies going to polls in this phase are Madhupur, Deoghar, Bagodar, Jamua, Gandey, Giridih, Dumri, Bokaro, Chandankyari, Sindri, Nirsa, Dhanbad, Jharia, Baghmara and Tundi. Among the constituencies going to polls in the fourth phase, Bokaro has the highest number of voters – 5,25,101. Chandankyari, on the other hand, has the least number of voters – 2,40,564. Deoghar has the highest number of polling stations – 460, while Jharia has 346 polling stations – the lowest in the phase.
According to latest figures with the ECI, a total of 67,422 first time voters have made it to the electoral roll in the fourth phase of polls here. As many as 41,367 of them are men and 26,048 are women, while the remaining seven represent the third gender.
Choubey said that at least 50 first information reports have been filed in connection with violation of Model Code of Conduct since the announcement of elections on November 1. As many as 21 of the 50 FIRs were lodged in the past one week, he added. As many as 11 FIRs –maximum in any district- were registered in East Singhbhum, said Choubey. A total of seven FIRs were lodged in Palamu, three in Dhanbad, 10 in Garhwa, four in Giridih, two in Ranchi, four in Bokaro, and one each in Saraikela-Kharsawan, Jamtara, Simdega, Pakur, Gumla, Sahebganj.
Besides, two FIRs were lodged in Lohardaga. Since the announcement of elections, different law enforcement agencies have seized cash, liquor, drugs and other expensive items worth more than Rs.5.5 crore, said Choubey, adding that the seizure includes cash worth over Rs.2 crore. Elections for the 81 assembly constituencies in Jharkhand will begin on November 30 and end on December 20.
The final counting will be done on December 23 and the results will be declared on the same day. According to figures with the ECI, at least 67 of the 81 constituencies here are Left Wing Extremism affected.
Central forces and local police will be deployed in sufficient numbers across all the constituencies to maintain law and order and ensure peaceful polls in Jharkhand, the ECI has said.