Ranchi (Jharkhand): No candidate filed nomination papers on the first day after the Election Commission on Wednesday issued gazette notification for the first of the five-phase election to the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly scheduled on November 30.
Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Vinay Kumar Choubey, told a press conference here that some nomination papers were purchased, but nobody filed the papers during the day.
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He said that the last date for filing of nomination for the first phase of polling is November 13 while scrutiny will be taken up the next day and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is November 16.
Thirteen of the total 81 seats will go to vote in the first phase. They are- Chatra (SC), Gumla (ST), Bishunpur (ST), Lohardaga (ST), Manika (ST), Latehar (SC), Panki, Daltonganj, Bishrampur, Chhatarpur (SC), Hussainabad, Garhwa and Bhawanthpur.
There are total 37,78,963 electorate, including 17,98,966 female and six third gender voters, for the first phase of the election, the CEO said, adding a total of 3906 polling stations are set up.
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The Election Commission has enabled webcasting in 989 polling stations, he said.
"The candidates can file nomination from a minimum one set to four sets. While nomination fee for general candidates is fixed at Rs 10,000, it is Rs 5000 for ST/SC candidates," he said, adding the candidates have to deposit cash in the treasury.
Candidates can file nominations between 11 AM and 3 PM.
Choubey said that a maximum of five persons can enter the office of the Returning Officer during nomination filing and no other person should be within the hundred meters radius of the office.
The candidates should open a separate bank account on their election expenditure a day before filing nominations, the CEO said.
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