Tamar poll peaceful
Soren's fate will be known by Tuesday
Vijay Deo Jha/Anupam Rana Tamar Tuesday, January 6, 2009 (National Front page)
The fate of the Chief Minister and UPA candidate Shibu Soren was finally locked in the chips of the electronic voting machine on Monday in a peaceful Tamar by-poll conducted with mega security arrangements. Now, the mood of the electorate will be revealed on Thursday on the day of counting of votes.
Reports coming from different polling booths indicated that this Monday would be best remembered for a very close hairline contest among Soren, Raja Peter of Jharkhand Party, Vijay Singh Manki of AJSU and Vasundhara Munda of Janta Dal United.
To quote official sources, the turnout staggered at 58 per cent out of 1.58 lakhs voters who exercised their franchise, across 247 booths of the Assembly constituency. "It was a free and fair election without violence barring a few cases of arrest," said Deputy Commissioner Rajiv Arun Ekka.
A fair analysis of the polling pattern of the day suggests Raja Peter has thrown a major challenge before his contenders, specially Soren. He seems to have succeeded in translating his support base into votes every where while Soren found favour mostly among the voters of Tamar and Arki.
The most widely predicted result and probability suggests the most engrossing possibility - a history of defeat or victory with a narrow margin.
The most widely predicted result and probability suggests the most engrossing possibility - a history of defeat or victory with a narrow margin.
Voting started at 7 am and the electorate thronged in large numbers at the polling booths, flashing their voter identity cards and other documents as approved by the Election Commission. However polling remained dull for a couple of hour but it was a temporary phenomenon.
A sudden surge of voters came as a big relief for the party and candidates. The voting gained momentum as evident from the reports. At the booth number 12 situated at Government Middle School, Edalhatu in Bundu block, 315 votes were cast out of 729 within the first four hours. Other polling booths too witnessed brisk and aggressive polling.
Driving along the National Highway 33 from Ranchi to Tamar on Monday morning, through Bundu, Arki, and Tamar one could witness a rainbow of moods, ranging from indifference to festive participation. But more or less the electorate showed their participation many of them bivouacked around polling booths in the mild sun of January while the flow of the river Kanchi and Karkari was markedly quiet.
The day was spared of any major devastation — Tamar turned into a garrison of armed forces who could be seen alert and ready to react in a split second. The EC had made a large security bandobast — 70 companies of forces were pressed in service to stop poll violence and any possible naxal attack. The forces were deployed at the polling booths situated in the remote rural areas. A good number of security forces were deployed along the roadside.
“We have sufficient numbers of forces to carry out the election peacefully, and election here is going on peacefully,” said the patrolling magistrate at Bundu.
A sudden surge of voters came as a big relief for the party and candidates. The voting gained momentum as evident from the reports. At the booth number 12 situated at Government Middle School, Edalhatu in Bundu block, 315 votes were cast out of 729 within the first four hours. Other polling booths too witnessed brisk and aggressive polling.
Driving along the National Highway 33 from Ranchi to Tamar on Monday morning, through Bundu, Arki, and Tamar one could witness a rainbow of moods, ranging from indifference to festive participation. But more or less the electorate showed their participation many of them bivouacked around polling booths in the mild sun of January while the flow of the river Kanchi and Karkari was markedly quiet.
The day was spared of any major devastation — Tamar turned into a garrison of armed forces who could be seen alert and ready to react in a split second. The EC had made a large security bandobast — 70 companies of forces were pressed in service to stop poll violence and any possible naxal attack. The forces were deployed at the polling booths situated in the remote rural areas. A good number of security forces were deployed along the roadside.
“We have sufficient numbers of forces to carry out the election peacefully, and election here is going on peacefully,” said the patrolling magistrate at Bundu.
If agriculture is their “economic priority” “voting” is their political priority. The rural flock returning from their fields directly went to the polling booths. At Booth no 156 at Punditiri, only four percent polling was registered till 12 am. Lakhu Oraon, a farmer, explained the reason: “It is agriculture season and most of the people working in the filed would come for the poll later.”
Unexpectedly the rural voters were prompt in casting their votes where turn out was not less than 75 per cent. In the polling booth situated at village Basukucha, the total turn out was 81 per cent as the sources informed. The apprehension of Maoist violence proved wrong and apparently Maoists had to eat crow as they could not disturb the polling.
Unexpectedly the rural voters were prompt in casting their votes where turn out was not less than 75 per cent. In the polling booth situated at village Basukucha, the total turn out was 81 per cent as the sources informed. The apprehension of Maoist violence proved wrong and apparently Maoists had to eat crow as they could not disturb the polling.
We were at one such polling booth at Kandeburu village, a Maoist-affected area situated some 10 kilometers remote from Bhuiyadih. The voters turned out very late and a large numbers of voters, more than 200 could be seen standing peacefully in queue and waiting for their chance to vote.
Just after the conclusion of the voting, Soren said: “In whatsoever form the mandate comes I will accept it with all grace…but I am sure it will be a mandate in my favour.”
Election is over but Tamar is still reverberating with claims and counter claims of victory.
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