Stage set for Ramgarh bypoll; 18 candidates in fray

Elaborate security arrangements have been made on Monday for bye-election to Ramgarh assembly constituency, where 18 candidates, including 14 Independents, are in the fray, a poll official said on Sunday.

Polling will start at 7 am and continue till 5 pm, he said.

Over 3.34 lakh voters, including 1.61 lakh women, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the bye-election. As many as 4,276 electors are above 80 years of age and 6,321 physically challenged, the official said.

The bye-election was necessitated after the disqualification of Congress legislator Mamta Devi, following her conviction in a criminal case.

Also Read | CWC polls didn't go well for Karnataka leaders twice earlier

The Congress, an ally of the ruling JMM-led dispensation, has fielded Mamta Devi’s husband, Bajrang Mahto, from the seat. Mahto is set to take on Sunita Choudhary of the AJSU Party, which has tied up with the BJP for the poll.

According to Ramgarh Superintendent of Police (SP) Piyush Pandey, the by-poll will be conducted in 405 polling booths.

"Of the 405 booths, 244 have been marked 'hyper sensitive' and 114 as 'sensitive',” he said.

"Adequate number of security personnel has been deployed near the hyper sensitive and sensitive booths to ensure that the polling is held in a peaceful manner. All booths will have 100 per cent security cover," he asserted.

In the 81-member Jharkhand House, the ruling UPA currently has 48 MLAs -- JMM 30, Congress 17 and RJD one.

The BJP has 26 members and AJSU Party two. The NCP and CPI (ML) have one lawmaker each, apart from two Independents.