Campaigning for first phase polling in Jharkhand ends

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi addressed two election rallies in Jharkhand Sunday, the last day of campaigning for the first phase of polls in the state.

Besides Sonia Gandhi, her son and party vice president Rahul Gandhi also addressed two rallies Saturday.

Polling will be held in the state in five phases. In the first phase Nov 25, voting will be held for 13 of the 81 seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several central ministers such as Rajnath Singh, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Piyush Goyal held poll rallies. Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) national president Amit Shah had kicked off the party campaign.

Congress's alliance partner Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) also left no stone unturned as party chief Lalu Prasad addressed five public meetings.

The BJP and the Congress are expected to battle it out in the first phase.The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) will also try to open its account. At present, it holds no seat from these 13 constituencies.

Around 33.56 lakh voters will decide the fate of 199 candidates who are in the fray. The constituencies are spread across six Maoist-affected districts. In the first phase, electors will vote at 3,939 polling booths. The polling time is 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Among the prominent candidates are Jharkhand Rural Development Minister K.N. Tripathi, Congress's state president Sukhdeo Bhagat, and former minister and Janata Dal-United candidate Sudha Chowdhary.