By IANS
Ranchi : Polling for the by-election for the Simeria assembly seat began on a peaceful note Monday morning.
An electorate of 241,000 will choose the winner among 14 candidates. All 228 polling stations have been declared sensitive. Twenty companies of paramilitary forces, security personnel of Jharkhand Armed Forces and district forces have been deployed to ensure peaceful polling.
The three frontrunners are Yogendra Baitha of Congress, Kumar Ujjawal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Ram Chandra Ram of the Communist Party of India (CPI). The seat fell vacant after sitting legislator Upendra Nath Das, father of the BJP candidate, died of cancer two months ago.
The by-election is likely to decide the politics of the state. The Congress, which has hardly any presence here, fielded its candidate against ruling coalition partner CPI. Railway minister Lalu Prasad of the Rashtriya Janata Dal – another partner in the coalition – campaigned in favour of the CPI candidate.
The Congress is reportedly unhappy with the coalition government led by Chief Minister Madhu Koda. The party had given him a 60-day ultimatum demanding a common minimum programme and better governance. The 60 days ended Jan 15.
Political observers here feel the Congress is planning to go it alone in the next assembly elections and is testing the eaters through this by-poll.
Union minister and Congress leader in charge of Jharkhand Ajay Maken has said the party would decide its course of action in the state after the Simeria by-election.