Low turn out in Jamshepur poll till noon

Jamshedpur, Aug 29 (UNI) About 30 per cent polling was reported till noon for Jamshedpur Lok Sabha by-poll amdist poll boycott by two villages in the Moaist dominated areas of the constituency.

According to Election Control Room here no untoward incident was reported from anywhere.

But the villagers of Phuljhor in Chankulia block near Jharkhand-West Bengal border and Hathibhinga village in Poktka block boycotted the election and not a single vote was cast till now.

The villagers boycotted the election protesting the lack of development work in their villages.

However, contrary to the reports, people were seen casting votes in the Naxalite-affected areas including Baghuria village where the JMM MP Sunil Mahto was gunned down on March 4 last by the Maoists, sources added. Mahto's death necessisated today's polling.

The administration arranged fool-proof security arrangements including deployment of 40 companies of para military force in the sensitive booths in the naxalite-affected areas.

Two helicopters were continuously making sorties to face any eventuality in this Maosist dominated district.

The polling was expected to accelarate in the afternoon, the sources added.

UNI