Security on alert for Palamu LS bypoll on Mar 29

Ranchi, Mar 28: Security has been tightened and anti-land mine squads and sniffer dogs were engaged in sanitising vulnerable roads in naxal-dominated Palamu as an estimated 13.66 lakh voters are expected to decide the fate of 15 candidates in tomorrow's by-election to the Lok Sabha seat.

Besides, two helicopters were pressed into service for aerial survey, senior police official today said adding extra vigil would be kept at Garwah where 520 polling booths were identified as senstive of the 614 spread over the district.

Director General of Police J B Mahapatra said elaborate security arrangements had been made to avoid landmine explosions adding 157 routes in the entire constituency were identified where the naxals were likely to plant landmines.

About 53 companies of para-military forces, including 17,000 security personnel, were deployed to ensure smooth polling at a total 1,315 booths of which 683 were identified as sensitive all over the seat, the sources said.

The bypoll was necessitated after Mr Manoj Bhuiyan(RJD) had to quit Lok Sabha membership following money-for-query scam.

Except for yesterday's bus accident near Garwah in which 16 polling personnel, mostly teachers, were killed and about as many injured, the electioneering was by and large peaceful.

The polling personnel in the district, who had threatened to boycott the election duty, following the accident and demanded at least Rs 25 lakh as compensation to each of the victims' families, however, relented and began proceeding to their respective place of assignment from this morning.

The stage is set for a triangular contest among the UPA, NDA and JVM(D) despite presence of 12 other aspirants in the fray.

The prominent three candidates are Jawahar Paswan(BJP), Prabhat Bhuiyan(JVM-D) and Ghuran Ram (RJD).

EVMS will be used in all polling booths, as an estimated 13,66,000 electorate were eligible to exercise their franchise in the constituency, comprising two districts--Garwah and Palamu- spread over six Assembly segments-Daltonganj, Bhawnathpur, Chatarpur, Garwah, Hussainabad and Vishrampur.

At present, out of the six Assembly seats, four were under the UPA allies.

BJP national president Rajnath Singh and former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha were among the two prominent persons, who came to campaign for the party candidate, while Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Union Minister Raghuvansh Prasad addressed election rallies on behalf of the UPA nominee. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (Democratic) president and MP from Koderma, Babulal Marandi, was the lone campaigner for his party, who had said if the results came in his favour, he would dethrone the Madhu Koda -led UPA government by early next month.

Union Steel Minister and Lok Janshakti Party president Ramvilas Paswan also addressed few rallies for party candidate Umesh Paswan.

According to political observers, the bypoll was a 'do or die' for former speaker Inder Singh Namdhari who resigned as MLA from Daltonganj following internal squabble in Janata Dal (U) over party's candidature for the seat.

Mr Namdhari openly favoured the BJP candidate while his party JD(U) pitted its own candidate though later, they reversed the decision.

However, Mr Namdhari stuck to his decision to leave the JD(U) as well as quitting as MLA.

Meanwhile, the JVM president, also the former chief minister, despite being dissatisfied with the Election Commission's directive to change its party symbol from 'key-lock' to 'nagara' had announced to leave no stone unturned to make its present felt in the bypoll.

Counting would be held on April 1.

UNI