Stage set for elections to 48 civic bodies in Jharkhand
Ranchi (PTI): All preparations have been made for conducting elections to Jharkhand's 48 urban local bodies (ULB), including Ranchi, on Monday, a State Election Commission (SEC) official said.
Voting will begin at 7 am amid tight security and will continue till 5 pm, he said.
Over 43.43 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the elections.
"The polling parties have been dispatched on Sunday morning and they are expected to reach their respective destinations by this evening. Many of them have already reached," SEC secretary Radhe Shyam Prasad told PTI.
The counting of votes will be held on February 27.
The elections are scheduled to be held for the posts of mayor, chairperson and councillor at 1,042 wards in nine municipal corporations, 20 nagar parishads and 19 nagar panchayats, he said.
There are 1,087 wards in 48 ULBs, but elections will be held in 1,042 wards, as 41 councillors have already been elected unopposed, while three wards remained vacant after no nomination was received and election at a ward in Mango Municipal Corporation has been cancelled after death of a candidate, Prasad said.
As many as 562 candidates, including 235 women, are in fray for the post of mayor and chairperson, while 5,562 candidates, including 2,727 women, are contesting for the post of ward councillors.
Prasad said adequate security arrangements have been ensured in each booth across 48 ULBs in the state.
A total of 4,307 polling booths have been set up to hold the elections. Of the total polling booths, 896 have been identified as hyper-sensitive and 2,445 as sensitive.
The campaigning for the polls ended at 5 pm on Saturday.
ULB polls in Jharkhand are not contested on the basis of the electoral symbols of the political parties, but candidates are backed by the outfits.
In Ranchi, 11 candidates are contesting for the post of mayor, while 167 aspirants are in the fray for 53 ward councillor posts.
Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri said all preparations are in place for the election on Monday.
As many as 909 polling booths have been set up in Ranchi. A total of 422 wheelchairs have been provided to facilitate elderly and physically challenged persons in booths, according to a statement issued by the Ranchi administration.
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4 held for sexually assaulting woman, girl on moving bus after social media alert in UP's Agra
Agra (UP) (PTI): Four people were arrested, after a prompt response by police following a social media alert, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and a girl inside a moving bus here, officials said on Tuesday.
According to an official police statement, at 12:27 am on April 27, information was received on the social media platform X about an incident of sexual assault on a bus travelling from Kanpur to Ahmedabad, which was approaching Namner crossing in Agra.
Acting under the direction of Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar, the Agra Police social media team immediately alerted the Rakabganj police station within minutes and coordinated with the victims to confirm the incident and obtain the exact location, it stated.
Police teams launched intensive checking at Namner crossing and intercepted the bus as it reached the spot. The four accused involved in the incident were apprehended on the spot, and legal action was initiated against them, the statement said.
The police said the swift response and coordination between the social media team and field units ensured timely action, bringing relief to the victims and other passengers, who expressed gratitude towards the police, it added.
