Polling on today began in 16 constituencies with Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren 
contesting in two seats in the fifth and final round of elections for the 81-seat state assembly.
Amid tight security, polling began on a brisk note for the fifth and final round of elections in Jammu and Kashmir in which 213 candidates, including Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and four other Ministers, are trying their luck in 20 seats.
Meanwhile, adequate security deployment, the exercise began at 7 am and will end at 3 pm in all the seats – Rajmahal, Borio (ST), Barhait (ST), Litipara (ST), Pakur, Maheshpur (ST), Sikaripara (ST), Nala, Jamtara, Dumka (ST), Jama (ST), Jarmundi, Sarath, Poreyahat, Godda and Mahagama.
The constituencies are spread over six districts – Dumka, Pakur, Godda, Sahibganj, Jamtara and some parts of Jarmundi seat coming under Deogarh district. There are nine general seats and seven reserved for tribals.
In all 36,90,069 voters, including 17,84,486 women, are eligible to exercise their franchise to choose among 208 candidates, 16 of them women.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Assembly Speaker Shashank Sekhar Bhokta are among the 208 candidates.
Soren is contesting from two seats—-Dumka and Barhait.
He had won from Dumka in the 2009 polls and is facing challenge from former JMM veteran and present BJP candidate Hemlal Murmu from Barhait, a seat Murmu had won last time as JMM candidate.
Soren’s opponent in Dumka is, among others, BJPs L. Marandi.
The Assembly Speaker is contesting from Sarath while Rural Works Minister and JMM candidate Lobin Hembrom is the lone minister in the Soren Cabinet contesting from Borio constituency.
Soren’s sister-in-law Sita Murmu, who is among the 16 JMM candidates in the last leg of the assembly elections, is seeking re-election from Jama.
The BJP has nominated 15 candidates, including one women, in the final phase of the elections. The Bahujan Samaj Party has fielded 12 candidates, including one woman while the Congress has 11 candidates, including two women.
After a record turnout of voters in the previous four phases, particularly in Kashmir Valley, there is an expectation of high voter turnout in the seats spread across Jammu, Kathua and Rajouri districts of Jammu region.
As many as 213 candidates, including the Deputy Chief Minister, ministers Sham Lal Sharma, Raman Bhalla, Manohar Lal Sharma, Ajay Sadhotra, former MP and Ministers Lal Singh and Talib Hussain (both BJP) are in the fray.
As many as 18,28,904 eligible voters, comprising 9,59,011 men and 8,69,891 women, are eligible to exercise their franchise at 2,366 polling stations set up across the three border districts.
BJP has high stakes in this phase as it had got 10 seats in 2008 Assembly elections followed by Congress with 5 seats, NC 2, PDP 1 and two seats going to Independents.
The Divisional Commissioner said that 400 security companies (40,000 security men) have been deployed for today’s polling apart from regular deployment of police forces.
Security arrangements along the Indo-Pak border have been strengthened in the three border districts of Jammu region with troops put on alert for the polls.
“Security grid along the Indo-Pak border has been put on alert. Multi-tier security has been put in place”, the Divisional Commissioner said.