Polling begins in 13 constituencies of Jharkhand amidst tight security

Jharkhand: More than 3.3 million voters are all set to exercise their franchise as 13 Maoist-affected constituencies of Jharkhand on Tuesday went on polls as the first phase of five-stage assembly election gets underway in the tribal-dominated state. The polls will decide on the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly as the results are to be announced on December 23. People were seen lining up outside the polling booths as one of the local urged people to come out and caste their vote. While the BJP is looking to sustain its victory after having swept the Lok Sabha polls and key states this year, the Congress and big regional players like the JMM are fighting to halt the juggernaut. A total of 199 candidates including nine sitting legislators are contesting in the first phase. About 45,000 security personnel have been deployed at 3,961 polling stations while three helicopters have been pressed into service for aerial monitoring of the election.