12.74% voters exercise franchise in Jharkhand

An estimated 12.74 per cent voters today exercised their franchise till 9 a.m. in the second phase of polling for six Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand, where Maoists blew up a stretch of railway track and injured a CRPF personnel in an encounter in Giridih.

Polling was going on amid elaborate security arrangements under helicopter surveillance in the state.

Long queues were witnessed at several booths in Ranchi, Giridih, Jamshedpur, Singhbhum (ST), Khunti (ST) and Hazaribagh seats.

Maoists blew up a stretch of railway track in Bokaro district, which falls under Giridih Lok Sabha constituency, disrupting train services.

The rebels damaged the tracks between Dania railway station in Bokaro and Jageshwar station of Bihar under South Eastern Railway disrupting train services, Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Singh said.

A pressure cooker bomb was recovered near a polling booth in Naxal-hit Saranda forest range of the state, an hour before polling began in Singhbhum (reserved) constituency in adjoining West Singhbhum district.

The bomb planted near a polling centre at Gudri under Sonua police station was detected by security personnel, Superintendent of Police N K Singh said.

It was planted to target security personnel and disrupt polling, he said.

A bomb disposal squad rushed to the spot to defuse it.

Jharkhand, which has 14 Lok Sabha seats, had its first phase polling in four constituencies on April 10 and will have its third and final phase on April 24 in four more seats.