The Congress’s Subodh Kant Sahay stayed at home, BJP’s Sanjay Seth scheduled a press conference but did not go through with it while BJP rebel candidate Ram Tahal Choudhary toured the outskirts of the capital on Saturday, the last day of campaigning for Jharkhand’s second phase of elections.
Ranchi, along with Hazaribagh, Khunti (ST) and Koderma, will vote on May 6.
Bikers sporting various party colours drove through the city in the morning, while others walked with flags announcing their allegiance in a last-ditch attempt to woo voters.
Congress’s Ranchi candidate Subodh Kant Sahay, who is representing the Opposition gathbandhan, spent the day at his home in Sector III of HEC township and discussed booth management strategy with his party workers. “I will win as the people of Ranchi have decided to make me their voice in Parliament. My nearest rival will be BJP. A victory for the Congress is important as the social fabric of the nation is being destroyed,” he said.
Sahay’s main rival, the BJP’s Sanjay Seth, announced a press conference but did not show up. Instead, two former BJP spokespersons Pradeep Sinha and Prem Mittal, and joint media in-charge Sanjay Jaiswal addressed the newspersons at 4.30pm.
“We are confident about victory not only in Ranchi but in other constituencies as well,” said Sinha. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming to Tata College in Chaibasa on May 6 and to Dumka on May 15. Party president Amit Shah is coming to Dhanbad and Jamshedpur on May 8, while Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari are reaching on May 7,” Sinha said.
Students of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University wear Modi masks in Morabadi. (Prashant Mitra)
Sitting MP and former BJP leader Ram Tahal Choudhary, who is contesting from Ranchi as an Independent, toured several rural localities of Namkum, including Jorar, Sarbal, Saparom, Devgain, Kochambo and Hahap, which he had developed as a model village.
“In 2014, as a BJP candidate, I had the defeated the Congress nominee by over two lakh votes. This time, as an Independent, I am sure of a victory, but don’t know about my victory margin. My nearest rival will be Congress again,” he said after being presented with a turban at Doranda by a group of Muslim residents.
BJP leader Jaiswal was, however, dismissive of the Ram Tahal challenge. “He won’t more than 30,000 votes. He is not a big challenge for us.”
Poll numbers
As poll campaign ended, Ranchi DC Rai Mahimapat Ray and SSP Anish Gupta held a joint news meet on Saturday on the scale of the elections. “As many as 19,10,955 voters (9,98, 392 male, 9,12,510 female and 53 others) are expected to vote at 2,376 polling booths. The constituency has been divided into 51 zones and 285 sectors, with zonal and sectoral magistrates being deputed for each. There are 403 micro-observers,” the DC said, adding webcast would be done from 253 booths and each EVM would have GPRS.
SSP Gupta said they had made strong security arrangements for booths and strongroom at Pandra market. For smooth passage of vehicles carrying EVM from booths to the strongroom, heavy vehicles have been restricted from Piska More to Tilta Chowk.
