Voting begins for 38 seats in 2nd phase of Jharkhand assembly polls
Ranchi (PTI): Polling for 38 assembly seats in the second and final phase of Jharkhand elections commenced on Wednesday, amid tight security arrangements, officials said.
Voting began at 7 AM in 14,218 booths across 12 districts and will continue till 5 PM.
However, polling in 31 booths will end at 4 PM though people standing in the queue at that time will be able to exercise their franchise, the officials said.
A total of 1.23 crore voters, including 60.79 lakh women and 147 third-gender electors, are eligible to exercise their franchise on Wednesday.
Altogether 528 candidates, including Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren and Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri of the BJP, are trying their luck in the second phase of the elections.
Taking to X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Today is the second and last phase of the great festival of democracy in Jharkhand. I urge all voters to participate in it enthusiastically and create a new record of voting. On this occasion, I especially congratulate all my young friends who are going to vote for the first time. Your every vote is the strength of the state."
Eighteen of the 38 constituencies are in the Santhal Pargana region comprising six districts - Godda, Deoghar, Dumka, Jamtara, Sahibganj and Pakur.
The remaining 18 seats are in the North Chotanagpur division and two in South Chotanagpur.
Of the total 14,218 polling stations, the responsibility of the entire voting process at 239 is in the hands of women and 22 are manned by persons with disabilities (PwDs), Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar said.
The ruling JMM-led INDIA bloc is seeking to retain power riding on its welfare schemes, while the BJP-headed National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is trying to wrest it.
The first phase of elections was held on November 13, and the counting of votes will take place on November 23.
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Public can obtain e-pass online to watch Independence Day celebrations in Bengaluru: BBMP
Bengaluru, Aug 13 (PTI): For the first time, the general public can obtain e-pass online to watch the 79th Independence Day celebrations, said Maheshwara Rao, Chief Commissioner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Wednesday.
Rao, along with the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, Seemanth Kumar Singh, was briefing the media here about how Bengaluru is preparing for the state-level ceremony to be held on August 15 at Field Marshal Manik Shah Parade Ground, Cubbon Road, Bengaluru.
“Earlier invitations were distributed by government officials to special invitees and to those involved in the ceremony. Now, people can obtain an e-pass from the Seva Sindhu website (www.sevasindhu.karnataka.gov.in),” added the commissioner.
He said a live telecast of the programme is also available on Doordarshan.
According to him, the viewing gallery for the public at the venue has been expanded to allow more people to watch the programme in person.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will hoist the Indian flag, following which he will inspect the parade in an open jeep and receive the guard of honour.
Siddaramaiah will also deliver an Independence Day message.
On ground security checks are already underway, said the Police Commissioner.
“Police have been deployed on guard duty at the ground for the last 15 days. They are also checking all the hotels, lodges and rest houses for any suspicious activities,” said Singh.
CCTV cameras and baggage scanners, Door Frame Metal Detector and Hand-Held Metal Detector have been installed around the ground to closely monitor all the events, he added.
He also appealed to those with green passes (e-passes) to arrive at Gate no. 05 from the Manipal Centre side via Cubbon Road.
He urged people not to carry any unnecessary luggage or items with them. Even essential items like mobile phones, water bottles, helmets, cameras, radios and umbrellas are best left behind to facilitate quick entry into the venue, he added.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru Traffic Police has appealed to the public to use public transport and metro service as much as possible, due to the lack of space for parking vehicles at Manik Shah Parade Ground and nearby areas.
Parking will not be allowed at Central Street (from Anil Kumble Circle to Shivajinagar Bus Stand), Cubbon Road (from CTO Circle to K R Road and Cubbon Road Junction) and MG Road, from Anil Kumble Circle to Trinity Circle), added a Traffic Police advisory issued on Wednesday.
