English
New Delhi: Results of Jharkhand’s Littipara bye-election will be out today and the counting of votes are expected to begin at 8 AM. A total ten candidates, including BJP’s Hemlal Murmu and JMM’s Simon Marandi are in the fray. The bye-poll to the Littipara seat has turned out to be an issue of prestige for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) and the opposition Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in the state.
The seat fell vacant after Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator Anil Murmu died following a heart attack in January this year.As per the reports of leading news agency Press Trust Of India, Jharkhand’s Littipara bye-poll saw 72.15 per cent voting. The BJP has fielded former minister Hemlal Murmu whereas the JMM has once again backed its old warrior Simon Marandi.
The BJP is trying to capture a seat that the JMM has held for the last 40 years. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das himself campaigned for five days for the party candidate in the bye-poll.
During the poll, JMM had raised the issue of EVM tampering and had demanded the use of ballot papers in the bye-elections. In a letter to the Election Commission, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha General Secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya, cited questions being raised over the fairness of EVM machines and had said that ballot papers should be used in the polls.
JMM had alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to influence the bye-poll by posting officials of their choice.
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest India News on India.com.
