Chatra (Jharkhand):Police authorities in poll-bound Jharkhand have beefed-up security ahead of the fifth and final phase of election, which is being held on Friday. Security personnel are patrolling the Maoist infested Chatra district, defusing the landmines planted
all over. "Their (Maoists) aim is to create disturbance and show their strength in the
legislative assembly elections and attack police personnel. We had tip-off that they have
planted landmine, which we diffused. As a precaution we are using less vehicles,"
said Sunil Bhaskar, Additional Superintendent Of Police (ASP), Chatra. Around
75,000 security personnel and six helicopters have been pressed into service for
the peaceful conduct of polls. Over 4500 polling booths will be manned adequately
by forces to ward off any untoward incident. Web cameras will also be installed
in Chatra and Chaibasa constituencies to monitor the poll process directly from
Ranchi and Delhi Election offices. Polling in this phase will be held in sixteen
constituencies in which 290 candidates are in fray and nearly 3.5 million voters
will decide their fate. Of the 81 Assembly seats in all, polling for 65 has already
been completed in the four previous phases. In the first phase of polling held
on November 25, 53.1 per cent of the voters had cast their votes, followed by
58.8 per cent voting in the second phase on December 2 and 57.2 per cent in the
third phase on December 7. Over 50 per cent turnout in fourth phase of polling.
Counting of votes will be held on December 23.
