J&K, Jharkhand undergoing final leg of Assembly polls

Many high-profile candidates, including deputy chief minister Tara Chand, are participating in the fray to try their luck in 20 seats spread over three districts.

Around 18,28,904 eligible voters, comprising 9,59,011 men and 8,69,891 women, are expected to exercise their franchise at 2,366 polling stations set up across the three border districts of Jammu, Kathua and Rajouri districts.

As many as 213 candidates, including ministers Sham Lal Sharma, Raman Bhalla, Manohar Lal Sharma, Ajay Sadhotra, former MPs and ministers Lal Singh, Talib Hussain (both Bharatiya Janata Party) and Jitendra Babu Singh and former Deputy Speaker Hyder Malik are battling it out in this phase.

Sources said altogether 400 companies of additional security personnel have been deployed for the final phase of polling apart from the regular deployment of police forces along with multi-tier security blanket in place. Security grid along the India-Pakistan border has been put on alert.

On the other hand, as many as 208 candidates, including 16 women nominees, are fighting the fifth phase of Assembly election in Jharkhand. Polling is undergoing in altogether 16 seats.

Voting is taking place at 3,773 polling booths out of which 833 booths have been declared as very sensitive, while another 1,496 have been declared sensitive, reports said.

Around 22,240 security personnel have been deployed in the fifth phase in Jharkhand.

The fate of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren will also be decided in the final phase of elections. Soren, the incumbent Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator from Dumka, is fighting both from Dumka and Barhet.