People wait in queues to cast their votes at a polling booth in a Naxal-affected area during the first phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections, in Seraikela Kharsawan district, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Chaibasa (Jharkhand): Brisk voting was recorded in Maoist-affected areas in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district despite a call given by the red rebels to boycott assembly elections on Wednesday, officials said.
The Maoists had put up posters and banners at the gates of a polling station in Rabanga village in Manoharpur constituency, calling upon electors to boycott the polls, and also placed an object which was suspected to be a bomb, they said.
Voting was delayed by half-an-hour as police cordoned off the area and removed the banners and posters, along with the suspicious object as sniffer dogs and a bomb squad were deployed at the spot.
Despite the incident, hundreds of voters gathered at the polling centre from the morning to cast their votes.
Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Shekhar said that tight security arrangements have been made to ensure free and fair polls.
Meanwhile, Naxals blocked a road between Haathnaburu and Dikuponga villages in Chotanagra police station area in Jagannathpur constituency with tree trunks, which were later removed by the police. The red rebels had also put up posters and banners at the spots.
Polling for 14 assembly seats in Kolhan region comprising East and West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharswan districts was underway in the first phase of polls in the state.
Peaceful polling was underway in Jambero, Regabeda, Komai, Gilua, Siyadih, Taramba and other villages in Maoist-affected Kuchai block in Seraikela-Kharswan district, Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar Lunayat said.
Tight security arrangements have been made to ensure peaceful and free and fair polls in Seraikela, Kharswan and Ichagarh assembly constituencies in the district, he said.
Till 1 pm, Ichagarh constituency recorded 50.42 per cent, Seraikela 49.10 per cent and Kharswan 53.68 per cent, he added.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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