Jharkhand braces for second phase polling tomorrow

Zee Media Bureau

Ranchi: State capital Ranchi and industrial city Jamshedpur are among the six constituencies that go to polls in Jharkhand on April 17.

The other four Lok Sabha constituencies which are going to the polls tomorrow are Giridih, Hazaribagh, Khuti and Singhbhum.

For the second phase, the BJP has been toiling to retain its seats, while the Congress and other parties are trying to improve their tallies.

The BJP, the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM-Prajatantric) and the Bahujan Samaj Party are contesting in all the six constituencies.

The Congress has fielded four nominees, the CPI 2, CPI(M) 1, Ajsu party 4, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha 2. BSP's Durga Oraon opted out of the contest in support of the Congress.

Among the main contenders are former minister and Congress Ranchi MP Subodh Kant Sahay, deputy speaker of Lok Sabha and BJP sitting MP Karia Munda and senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha's son Jayant Sinha.

In 2011, the BJP had lost the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha bypoll that was won by Ajay Kumar of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P).

The BJP now claims it will win at least five seats in the second phase of the polling.

On the other hand, the Congress too is confident of winning the maximum number of seats.

Party politics aside, the state capital is also witnessing an interesting fight of personalities.

In Ranchi, Congress sitting MP and former minister Subodh Kant Sahay is facing stiff competition from TMC's Bandhu Tirkey and Amitabh Chaudhary of JVM-P, other than from the BJP.

Chaudhary is a former Indian Police Service officer and president of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association.

Also on the same seat, BJP candidate Ram Tahal Chaudhary is facing the challenge from Sudesh Mahto, who is the president of the All Jharkhand Students Union.

Both Chaudhary and Mahto are banking on the more than 300,000 Kurmi votes, whereas the Congress is banking on its traditional vote bank and Muslim votes.

Karia Munda, the deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha and senior BJP leader, is fighting to win the Khuti seat for the seventh time. Party president Rajnath Singh has campaigned for him.

He is locked in a fight with Jharkhand Party legislator and former minister Enos Ekka. AAP candidate Dayamani Barla has alleged that Enos Ekka is getting support of Maoist organisation People's Liberation Front of India.

From Hazaribagh, senior BJP leader and sitting MP Yashwant Sinha campaigned for his son Jayant Sinha.

Jayant Sinha will fight it out with Congress legislator Saurabh Narayan Singh and Lok Nath Mahto of the AJSU.

The steel city Jamshedpur is witnessing a contest between sitting MP Ajay Kumar of JVM-P and BJP's Vidyut Baran Mahto, who had quit the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

The Jamshedpur seat is a prestige issue for former chief minister Arjun Munda and the BJP which was instrumental in bringing Mahto to the BJP.

The BJP has promised special status category to Jharkhand if it comes to power.

Among poll issues were irrigation, the underground fire at Jharia in Dhanbad, employment, jobs, health facilities, roads, electricity and prevention of migration.

Campaigning has ended in six Lok Sabha constituencies in the second of the three-phase polling in Jharkhand scheduled to be held on Thursday.

Elections in Hazaribagh were originally scheduled on April 10 before being shifted to April 17 as the date coincided with Ram Navami festival.

The first phase of polling for four seats was held on April 10. Despite a Maoist call for boycott of the Lok Sabha election, Jharkhand had witnessed moderate turnout of 58.03 percent in the first phase of polling.

(With Agency inputs)