As the campaigning for the third phase of Jharkhand Assembly polls ended on Tuesday evening, with the polling due on December 12 in 17 constituencies, it would be crucial for the ruling BJP in the state as three heavyweight candidates are in the fray.

The key candidates for this phase include three ministers- CP Singh, Ramchandra Sahis and Neera Yadav, former chief minister Babulal Marandi and former deputy chief minister and All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) president Sudesh Mahto.

According to the Election Commissions latest updated list of voters about 56.18 lakh electorate, including female and third gender voters, are eligible to decide the fate of 309 candidates, including 32 women nominees in the 17 constituencies.

The momentum for the polls in the third phase has gained pace with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as Congress leader Rahul addressing two rallies in Hazaribagh and Bokaro on December 9. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP Working President J P Nadda and Union minister Smriti Irani also sought vote for nominees of the saffron party at different places. Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha also addressed election meetings in support of party candidates in many areas.

Of the 17 seats, the BJP, JMM and Congress had won 10, three and two seats, respectively in the 2014 Assembly polls.

Seventeen seats are spread across Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Chatra, Giridih, Bokaro, Koderma and Saraikela.

Among these seats, voting will be held on five seats namely Ranchi, Hatia, Kanke, Ramgarh and Barkatha from 7 am to 5 pm while in the remaining 12 seats, voters will be able to vote between 7 am to 3 pm.

Ranchi Assembly seat has been the traditional stronghold of the BJP. Yashwant Sinha had won the seat on a BJP ticket in 1995. He resigned from the Assembly after being elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996. CP Singh is locked in a direct fight with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate Mahua Majhi.

Former chief minister and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) President Babulal Marandi is contesting from Dhanwar seat and is locked in a triangular fight with sitting CPI-ML Legislator Rajkumar Yadav and BJP candidate and former IPS officer Lakshman Prasad.

Another important seat is Silli where AJSU president Sudesh Mahto is locked in a direct fight with JMM candidate and sitting Legislator Seema Devi.

Sudesh Mahto had been winning from the Silli Assembly seat from 2000 to 2014. He lost the 2014 Assembly polls to Amit Mahto of the JMM.

Amit Mahto later lost the membership of the Assembly after he was convicted in a case. Seema Devi, wife of Amit Mahto, fought the bypoll and defeated Sudesh Mahto.

The seats where polling will be held are Kodarma, Barkatha, Barhi, Barkagaon, Ramgarh, Mandu, Hazaribag, Simaria (SC), Dhanwar, Gomia, Bermo, Ichagarh, Silli, Khijri (ST), Ranchi, Hatia and Kanke (SC), an EC release said.

The BJP has nominated candidates in 16 of the 17 seats in this phase, a party leader said.

The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) has fielded candidates in all the seats in the third-phase, JVM (P) spokesman Saroj Singh said.

The opposition alliance comprising the JMM, Congress and the RJD have fielded candidates in the constituencies as per their pre-poll seat adjustments.

The AJSU party, Lok Jan Shakti Party, Aam Admi Party, Samajwadi Party, CPI, CPI (ML-Liberation), All India Trinamool Congress, Hindustani Awami Morcha (Secular), Shiv Sena, Janata Dal (United), All India Forward Bloc and some other parties have put up candidates in selective constituencies.

The first-phase polling for 13 seats and the second-phase for 20 assembly segments had concluded on November 30 and December 7 respectively.

The fourth and the fifth phases polling for 15 and 16 seats will be held on December 16 and 20 respectively.

Counting to the 81-member House is slated on December 23.