Thumbs down to Naxals

Defying Naxalite threats and boycott calls, over 55 per cent of voters cast their votes in 24 Assembly constituencies in Jharkhand, where po...

Defying Naxalite threats and boycott calls, over 55 per cent of voters cast their votes in 24 Assembly constituencies in Jharkhand, where polling was by and large peaceful, according to the Election Commission.

In Palamau, however, seven persons8212;a driver and six police personnel belonging to the state police8212;were killed in a landmine blast last night while returning to their barracks in a jeep after dropping off polling staff at a nearby booth. The blast at Shaswa village, was believed to have been carried out by CPI-ML Maoist extremists

Heavy security comprising 50,000 policemen8212;including CRPF and Jharkhand Armed Police8212;appears to have helped, as people turned up at many booths in Garhwa, Palamau, Hazaribag, Koderma, Latehar and Giridih.

Long queues of voters were seen outside booths since morning and polling picked up as the day advanced in the Jharkhand-Bihar border areas and several other towns and villages.

Among these constituencies, Hazaribagh recorded the highest turnout with over 58 per cent voting, while in Latehar, it was lowest with less than 30 per cent. There were also minor incidents including one in which supporters of the CPI and the CPI-ML clashed at Mandu, where five persons were reportedly injured. Two booths8212;36 and 378212;in Panki constituency in Palamau were captured by the Maoists. In Hazaribagh, a poll officer died due to cardiac arrest. In Gridih, Maoists decamped with a police wireless set while residents complained that as many as 12 EVMs in their constituencies did not work. The EC was expected to order repolling there.

With less than five of the 67 Assembly constituencies going to the polls on February 15 and 23 being Naxalite-affected, and with no major incident of violence during the day-long polling in constituencies today, the EC, police and state administration heaved a sigh of relief. 8216;8216;This has proved the ultras have no support among the people and their poll boycott had a negligible impact,8217;8217; said Chief Secretary P.P. Sharma.

While pollsters projected that the failure of the Naxalites8217; boycott would benefit Congress and its two allies, JMM and RJD, former Jharkhand CM Babulal Marandi of the BJP and CM Arjun Munda claimed that it would favour the ruling BJP-JDU combine.