55 pc polling in Jharkhand

An estimated 55-60 pc voters cast their ballot in the final phase of polling in eight constituencies where a police man and a polling officer were killed in a landmine explosion.

An estimated 55 to 60 per cent voters cast their ballot in the second and final phase of polling in eight constituencies in Jharkhand where a police personnel and a polling officer were killed in a landmine blast.

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Despite Naxal threat in five seats- there was 40 per cent polling in Lohardaga, 50 per cent in Khunti, 52 per cent in Jamshedpur, 52 per cent in Ranchi pc) and 45 per cent in Singhbhum--without any untoward incident.

Godda (55/60), Dumka (55/60) and Rajmahal (55/60) were the other seats where voting took place.

''The polling was fully peaceful,'' home secretary JB Tubid said.

He said an assistant sub-inspector, Ram Ratan Singh and polling officer Sashi Sekhar Harihar, a teacher by profession, were killed in a landmine blast while they were on their way to their booth at Banatala under Lohardga parliamentary seat this morning.

A Godda report said one member of the Godda district committee of the CPI was stabbed by an unidentified person while unknown gunmen fired shots in the air at Parsaigaon.

Agitated over the continued neglect of their areas, most of the villagers of at least 16 booths spread over Dumka, Rajmahal, Godda and Ranchi districts stayed away from the polling exercise till noon.

Earlier in the morning, defective electronic machines in many polling booths delayed voting up to two hours before the officials replaced with new ones.

Prominent among the 97 candidates whose fate sealed in the EVMs are: JMM's chief Sibu Soren, Union Minister Karia Munda of BJP from Khunti, former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahai from Ranchi and Deputy Speaker of the state assembly Bagun Sumbrai of the Congress from Singhbhum.

In the first phase of the polling on April 20 the state had witnessed 50 to 55 per cent turn out in six seats.