Election Commission reviews poll preparations in Jharkhand

Ranchi:The Election Commission on Wednesday met political parties and Jharkhand officials here ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and reviewed the poll preparations.

When the Congress suggested to the EC not to go ahead with simultaneous general and assembly elections in the state, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora made it clear that the poll panel team was in the state only to decide about the Lok Sabha polls.

The party also demanded that officials who were posted for the last three years at the same place should be shifted before the elections, Congress General Secretary Kishore Sahdeo told IANS.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded that the elections in the Maoist-infested areas should be conducted in one day for both the Lok Sabha and the Assembly and the polling booths should not be changed.

The BJP said that the poll dates may differ for the rest of the state.

BJP MLA Radha Krishna Kishore said: "BJP is ready for polls. The Maoist incidents have declined in the state. There is no problem in conducting peaceful polls."

The Rashtriya Janata Dal demanded that the polls be conducted in a single phase.

The main opposition party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) demanded the the poll expenditure details submission period should be extended from 25 days to 60.