By IANS,
Ranchi: More than 56,000 candidates have filed their nomination papers for the second phase of panchayat polls in Jharkhand, an official statement said Tuesday.
“A total of 56,318 candidates, including 30,004 women, filed nomination papers for the second phase of panchayat polls,” said a press release issued by the Jharkhand Election Commission.
In the second phase, polling will be held Dec 6 for 11,292 panchayats in 71 blocks. Monday was the last date for filing of nominations.
A total of 59,585 candidates had filed their nomination papers for the first phase. Polling is scheduled for Nov 27.
The other polling dates in the five-phase elections are Dec 13, Dec 20 and Dec 24. The polls are not taking place on party lines and 50 percent of the posts are reserved for women.
Jharkhand is holding panchayat polls for the first time after it was carved out from Bihar in November 2000. The last local bodies poll took place in 1979 when the areas forming Jharkhand were a part of Bihar.