Campaign ends in Jharkhand for third phase

Curtains came down on campaigning on Friday for the third phase of polling in four Lok Sabha seats of Jharkhand to be held on May 12.

A total 66,85,401 voters of Giridih, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur and Singhbhum (ST) constituencies are eligible to decide the fate of 67 candidates in Sunday's election.

Twenty-three candidates are in the fray in Jamshedpur seat, followed by 20 in Dhanbad, 15 in Giridih and nine in Singhbhum (ST).

The polling will be held between 7 am to 4 pm in 8,300 polling stations in the four constituencies.

Jharkhand Water Resources Minister Chandraprakash Choudhary, the Ajsu party leader and BJP-led NDA candidate, is pitted against Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA Jagarnath Mahato Giridih seat.

Sitting BJP MP P N Singh is facing Congress candidate Kirti Azad from Dhanbad while another BJP parliamentarian B B Mahato is contesting against JMM MLA Champai Soren from Jamshedpur.

Former chief minister Madhu Koda's wife Gita Koda has been nominated by the Congress from Singhbhum (ST) against the BJP's state unit president and MP Laxman Gilua.

The JMM and the Congress are part of the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in Jharkhand.

Adequate security arrangements have been made to conduct free, fair and peaceful elections, police sources said.

Polling for the first two phases in the state were held on April 29 and May 6. The last phase will be conducted on May 19.