Campaigning ends for final phase of polling in Jharkhand

Campaigning for the fourth phase of polling in Jharkhand, the seventh and final phase in the country, ended on Friday evening.

In the final phase of polling, voting will take place for three Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand - Dumka, Rajmahal and Godda.

In the 2014 polls, the JMM had won the Dumka and Rajmahal seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party won Godda. There are a total of 45,64,681 voters in the final phase of polling. More than 55 per cent voters are below 40 years of age.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren is seeking re-election for the ninth time from the Dumka seat. He is pitted against BJP candidate Sunil Soren who has been fighting Lok Sabha polls since 2009.

Shibu Soren has been winning the seat since 1991, except in 1998 and 1999.

In Godda, the fight is between sitting BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) legislator and candidate Pradeep Yadav.

In Rajmahal, the fight is between sitting JMM MP Vijay Kumar Hansdak and BJP candidate Hemalal Murmu.

In the final phase of polling, the BJP and the JMM have made all out efforts to win all three seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a rally in the state on May 15 while Chief Minister Raghubar Das held two to three rallies everyday.

JMM Executive President Hemant Soren and JVM-P President Babulal Marandi also vigorously campaigned in the final phase of polling.

--IANS

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