Polling officials accompanied by magistrates and equipped with EVMs and VVPATs were despatched to 881 of the total 1,885 booths in the three Assembly segments of Jamshedpur Lok Sabha constituency — Ghatshila, Bahragora and Potka —which is scheduled to vote on Sunday.
Election officials for the remaining 1,004 booths in Jamshedpur West, Jamshedpur East and Jugsalai Assembly segments on Saturday.
East Singhbhum DC-cum-district electoral officer Amit Kumar said the CRPF and JAP personnel had been sent to the booths in Ghatshila, Baharagora and Potka three days ago.
Kumar said of the 1,885 booths in the constituency, 662 were super-sensitive, 699 sensitive and 524 normal. “Polling will be covered by CCTV cameras in 259 booths. Webcams have been installed in 233 booths and there will be micro-observers in 118 booths. The rest will be covered by videography,” he said.
The DC told the media that 1,111 arms licence holders had surrendered their fire-arms ahead of the elections. As many as 187 arms licences had been cancelled and 236 license holders permitted to keep their firearms with them.
Shops and business establishments will remain closed from 7am till 4pm on Sunday.
SSP Anoop Birtharay said that the OCs had been directed to conduct checks at hotels and lodges to ensure that they didn’t entertain guests outside Jamshedpur LS constituency until the polling was over.
On Friday, police carried out random checking of vehicles to detect the presence of arms, liquor and cash. “Since the poll notification on April 16, we have seized eight pistols, Rs 59 lakh in cash and 6,621 litres of liquor,” the SSP said.
