With the issue of notification for the fourth phase of Assembly elections, the process of filing nomination papers for two Assembly seats in Bokaro district and 6 Assembly seats in Dhanbad district has commenced.
“Filing of nomination for this phase will end on the November 29 and scrutiny will be done on 30 of this month, informed Bokaro District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Kumar. December 2 is the last date for withdrawal of nomination,” he added.
Candidates can file their nomination papers before the Returning Officer between 11 am to 3 pm. The 81-member Jharkhand Assembly will go to polls in five phases between November 30 and December 20; counting of votes will be taken up on 23 December.
Dhanbad district consists of six legislative assemblies Sindri (38), Nirsa (39), Dhanbad (40), Jharia (41), Tundi (42) and Baghmara (43) and two constituencies of Bokaro district includes Bokaro (36) and Chandankiyari (37) will go for poll in the fourth phase.
There are 7,53,233 voters in two Assembly constituencies of Bokaro district includes Bokaro (5,15,971) and Chandankiyari (2,37,262) and they will cast their rights on 885 polling booths, informed Kumar.
In Bokaro constituency there are 2,79,274 male voters, 2,35,131 female, 16 transgender and 1,550 service voters while in Chandankiyari 1,26,248 male, 1,10,743 female, 1 transgender and 270 service voters.
Now for the first time in Bokaro the PwD (differently-abled) voters and people over 80 years of age can now cast their vote through postal ballot, in a move that will help increase voter turnout. At present, voting through the postal ballot is available to armed forces and those assigned poll duties, said Kumar. Following a recommendation from the Election Commission, the Ministry of law and justice amended the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, allowing senior citizens and those with disabilities on the absentee voter list. Absentee ballot refers to a vote cast by someone unable to go to the polling station, he said.
"There are 5446 such voters on 588 polling booths includes 2634 PwD and 2812 over 80 years," added the DC.
Notably, more than 70 per cent of the booths in these constituencies have been placed in the super-sensitive and hyper-sensitive categories.
People residing in the remote part are living in the dearth of several basic amenities. Drinking water, health, electricity, road connectivity, education, employment including others is the major issues found across the constituencies.