By IANS
Ranchi : Over 50 percent polling took place in the municipal elections being held in Jharkhand after a gap of 23 years.
Sporadic violence was witnessed at some places in Ranchi as supporters of candidates clashed at four polling booths in then city.
According to state election officials, till 4 p.m. 52 percent polling had taken place in the municipal elections in the state.
Besides Ranchi, municipal elections are taking at Hazaribagh, Giridih, Seraikela and Kharsawa and some other towns.
The security personnel had to intervene to disperse people trying to disrupt the polling, and arrest those involved in bogus voting.
According to the police, three people were arrested on charges of disrupting election in Ranchi and two were arrested in Hazaribagh.
The voters complained of technical flaws in the electronic voting machines at seven places.
For the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC), more than 1,200 candidates are in the fray for the posts of the mayor, one deputy mayor and 58 ward commissioners. For the mayor’s post, 27 candidates are in the fray and 78 candidates are fighting for the deputy mayor’s post.
The state election commission deputed around 6,000 government employees, and made heavy security arrangements for the polling.
The state and central government offices were closed for the election. The secondary school students appearing in their CBSE examinations faced some problems in some places due to election. Vehicles were mostly off the roads. More than 50 percent shops were closed.