Tuesday, February 15 2005 09:46 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna/Ranchi: The second phase polling began in Bihar and Jharkhand amidst tight security this morning (Feb 15, 2005).

Polling for 29 Assembly seats began this morning in Jharkhand amidst beefed up security arrangement to thwart any disruption following a boycott call by the naxalites.

Security personnel are manning the constituencies as voters are slowly turning up to the booths spread over Ranchi, Gumla, Simdega, Lohardaga, Jamshedpur, Sareikela-Kharsawan and Chaibas districts.

Helipads have been made at strategic points to despatch reinforcements, if required, while anti-landmine vehicles have been provided to all the districts.

Chief Minister Arjun Munda, contesting from Kharsawan, is among the 456 candidates whose fate would be locked in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) by an eligible electorate of 58,44,049 during the day.

The ruling alliance partners Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (26) and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) (3) are slugging it out with the Congress (17) and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) (12) combine, the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU)-Mahto group (17) and the (Lok Janashakti Party) LJP (11) alliance and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) (16).

Besides Munda, other prominent candidates in the fray are Road Construction Minister and AJSU president Sudesh Mahto (Silli), Tourism Minister Joba Manjhi (Ind-Manoharpur), former Speaker and RJD nominee M P Singh (Jamshedpur West), BJP's State unit president Raghuvar Das (Jamshedpur East), Health Minister Dinesh Sarangi (Barahgora) and Welfare Minister Sudarshan Bhagat (Gumla).

Also trying their luck are former Ministers Nilkanth Singh Munda, Ramesh Singh Munda, Saghanu Bhagat, Ramjilal Sharda (BJP rebel contesting as independent), former union Minister and BJP leader Karia Munda and former JPCC president Pradeep Balmachu.

Reports coming in from Ranchi claim that one Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was today injured when naxalites opened fire at a polling booth in Lohardaga district of Jharkhand, just hours ahead of the second phase polling.

Naxalites randomly fired at the polling booth at 01:00 hrs (IST) injuring a jawan, when the para-military personnel were guarding the booth at Mungo high school under Sena police station, the police said.

The extremists beat a retreat following a strong retaliation, the police said.

Bihar

Second phase polling also began in Bihar this morning in 82 Assembly constituencies spread over 15 districts amidst tight security.

Three bombs exploded at some polling booths in Munger just before polling began. No casualty was, however, reported, the police said.

Long queues of voters were seen at several polling centres in towns like Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Purnea, Madhepura and Saharsa half-an-hour before the polling started.

Around 114 km stretch of Bihar-Nepal border has been sealed to prevent entry of unwanted elements, particularly the maoist rebels, from across the border during the polls.

Altogether 325 companies of para-military forces have been deployed in these 82 constituencies to ensure free and fair poll.

Shoot-at-sight orders have been issued against booth grabbers in case the security personnel failed to disperse or capture them, official sources said.

Nearly 1.8 crore voters are eligible to participate in today's exercise to decide the fate of 1,000 candidates, prominent of whom included RJD Ministers Shakuni Choudhury, Pitambar Paswan, Ashok Singh, Ravindra Charan Yadav, former union Minister Sanjay Paswan, Congress Minister Ashok Kumar and Bhola Prasad Singh of the BJP.

Of the 82 constituencies, RJD is contesting 67 seats while BJP has put up candidates in 31 constituencies and candidates of its ally JD-U are trying their luck in 49. The LJP is also in the fray in 56 seats, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 78, Samajwadi Party (SP) in 48, Communist Party of India (CPI) in 7, Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML) in 7and Nationalist Congress party (NCP) in 15.