Ranchi:
Amid webcam observation of eight booths by the Election Commission, voting for the fifth and final phase of polling for 16 Assembly seats, most of them Maoist infested, began in Jharkhand at 7 am on Friday.
(Read: Heavyweights in fifth phase)
"The officials of the EC in New Delhi and state EC in Ranchi are watching the polling through webcams in eight booths -- one each in Chaibasa, Sareikela, Garhwa, Chatra, Latehar, Barkatha and two in Palamau," a spokesman at the EC said here.
(Read: Key constituencies)Besides tight security arrangements, a total of 126 video and 378 digital still cameras are also being used to oversee the polling.
(Read: Major issues)Meanwhile reports say suspected Maoists exploded a landmine, injuring a policeman at Mahur inJharkhand today.
A personnel of the Jharkhand Armed Policesuffered splinter injuries in the explosion triggered during patrollingin the area, Superintendent of Police Jatin Narwal said.
The constituencies going for polls are Chatra, Latehar, Simaria, Panki, Bishrampur, Hussainabad, Chhatarpur, Garhwa, Bhawnathpur, Manika, Chaibasa, Barkatha, Jagannathpur, Sareikella, Kharsawan and Daltonganj.
(Read: Successful candidates in 2005)A total of 33,96,472 electorate are eligible to decide the fate of 290 candidates contesting from the seats. Bhawnathpur has a maximum of 25 candidates while Chatra with 10 contestants has the lowest number.
(Read: Party positions in 2005)
Polling for 65 seats of the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly has already been completed in the previous four phases.
Voting would end at 3 pm and results for all the seats will be out on December 23.