Thursday, February 3 2005 09:41 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Naxalites struck Jharkhand, killing seven policemen in a landmine blast in Palamu district just hours before the State and Bihar went for the first round of three-phased polling along with all 90 seats for Haryana Assembly amidst tight security arrangements.

The jawans of district armed police were returning after escorting a polling party to a booth at Sarsiva village under Chattarpur police station in the wee hours of today (Feb 03,2005) when naxalites blew up their vehicle, killing all of them on the spot, police sources said in Ranchi.

Balloting began this morning for one-day Assembly polls in Haryana and for the first phase of the exercise in Bihar and Jharkhand amidst heavy deployment of central para-military forces and aerial surveillance in naxalite-hit areas.

Orders to shoot booth grabbers were issued in Bihar as security was beefed up in the three States to ensure free, fair and peaceful voting in all the 90 Assembly constituencies in Haryana, 64 in Bihar and 24 in Jharkhand.

Over 1.42 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 826 candidates in fray in the first phase in Bihar.

Twenty-four constituencies in extremist-infested Garwah, Palamu, Chatra, Giridih and Koderma are witnessing balloting in Jharkhand to decide electoral fortunes of 402 candidates.

In Haryana, where ruling Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the main opposition Congress are locked in a direct fight, nearly 1.27 crore voters, including 58.31 lakh women, will seal the fate of 983 candidates.