Thursday, February 3 2005 10:47 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ranchi: Polling for the first ever Jharkhand Assembly elections began this morning (Feb 03, 2005) amidst unprecedented security ring as suspected naxalites killed seven policemen in a landmine blast a few hours before the start of poll.

The fate of four Ministers and 12 legislators, besides 386 other candidates, would be sealed by 53,60,098 voters in the first phase polls in 24 constituencies, all of which fall under naxal infested districts.

In the face of a poll boycott call by the naxalites, elaborate security arrangements have been made to hold a free and fair election while five helicopters are ready for surveillance and transporting special task force personnel.

A total of 3,705 out of 4,620 polling stations have been declared sensitive. The main opponents of the ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)-JD-U (Janata Dal-United) combine is the JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha)-Congress alliance while the RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) is fighting it alone.

Industry Minister Ravindra Rai (Rajdhanwar), PHED Minister Satyanand Bhokta (Chatra), Rural Development Minister Chandramohan Prasad (Giridih) and Agriculture Minister Dev Dayal Kushwah (Hazaribag) are among the members in the Arjun Munda Cabinet seeking re-election to the 81-member Assembly.

The other prominent legislators whose fate would decided are former Speaker and Jharkhand unit JD-U president Inder Singh Namdhari (Daltonganj), RJD State unit president Yogendra Baitha (Simaria) and RJD's legislative party leader Girinath Singh (Garwah).