Last phase to decide Koda wife's fate

RANCHI: Campaigning for the fifth and final phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections ended on Wednesday. Polling will be held in 16 constituencies on Friday.

The Election Commission (EC) has made elaborate arrangements for ensuring free and fair elections. Though the elections have been by and large peaceful, except a few violent incidents, the state police are leaving no stone unturned.

"More than 700 companies of state police and central paramilitary forces have been deployed in the constituencies," said a senior police official. He added: "Six helicopters will be used for air surveillance." Major Naxal-hit areas like Latehar, Chatra and Palamau are also covered in the fifth phase.

Constituencies going to polls are Chatra, Latehar, Simaria, Vishrampur, Panki, Daltonganj, Chhatarpur, Hussainabad, Garhwa, Bhavnathpur, Manika, Chaibasa, Barkatha, Jagannathpur, Seraikela and Kharsawan.

As many as 33.9 lakh voters are eligible to vote and decide the fate of 290 candidates in 4,579 polling booths. Prominent candidates in the fray are former ministers Bhanu Pratap Sahi, Kamlesh Singh, Satyanand Bhokta and Radha Krishna Kishore.

All eyes will be on Jagannathpur where former chief minister Madhu Koda’s wife Geeta Koda is contesting for the first time. Mr Koda, who is facing several corruption charges, is now under judicial custody.

Hussainabad will also be a seat to watch. Mr Koda’s ex-Cabinet colleague Kamlesh Singh, also facing corruption charges, is contesting from here. He had won the last elections by a slender margin of 35 votes from the same constituency.

At least five former Maoists are also contesting in the last phase. They are Satish Kumar (JMM, Daltonganj), Yugal Pal (JMM, Vishrampur), Ganesh Ganjhu (JMM, Simaria), Ranjan Yadav (RJD, Panki) and Kuldip Ganjhu (Ajsu, Simaria).

Polling has already been held in 65 out of 81 constituencies. Counting of votes will take place on December 23.