As the voting for the Jharkhand Assembly polls began at 7 am on Saturday for 13 seats of in the first phase, Maoists on Saturday in an attempt to intimidate voters  blew up a bridge in Gumla, just before polling began, police said.

This bridge ran between Ghaghra-Kathkothwa highway and after Moaists found that there threats to boycott the polling process was not being adhered to by the public, the insurgents carried out the attack.

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According to officials, poling has not been affected due to blast. Jharkhand has witnessed 11.02 per cent polling till 9 am, with the highest being at Lathear assembly seat with 13.23 per cent. The Maoists had killed four cops in Latehar just a few days back.

Heavy security arrangements have been made for the polling which is taking place in Maoist affected area. The polling will continue till 3 pm.

13 Assembly seats of Chatra, Gumla, Vishunpur, Lohardagga, Manika, Latehar, Panki, Daltanganj, Vishrampur, Chatarpur, Harwah, Hussainabad and Bhavanathpur are going for polling today.

As many as 189 candidates are in the fray for the 13 seats. The candidates’ fate will be decided by 37,83,055 voters.

The maximum number of candidates, 28, are contesting from the Bhavanthpur Assembly seat.

The important candidates, whose fate will be decided in first phase polling, include Jharkhand Health Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi, Congress state chief Rameshwar Oraon and former Minister and BJP candidate Bhanu PRatap Shahi.

The Election Commission (EC) on November 6 issued notification for the first phase of Assembly elections in Jharkhand.

Earlier, on November 1 Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora announced that Jharkhand will go to polls in five phases starting November 30. The other phases of polling will be held on December 7, 12, 16 and 20. Counting of votes polled for the 81-member Assembly will be held on December 23.

In the last Assembly Elections in 2014, BJP won 35 seats out of total 81 seats and its ally, the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) won 5. The Congress was reduced to 6 seats only.

The Congress and the JMM are fighting this election as allies along with RJD. In the 81-seat assembly of Jharkhand assembly, the Congress will contest on 31 seats in alliance with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha which is contesting on 43 seats and Rashtriya Janata Dal contesting on 7 seats.

The BJP, which is seeking a second straight win under the leadership of Chief Minister Raghubar Das, is contesting in 12 seats in the first phase while it is supporting Independent candidate Vinod Singh from Hussainabad.

With the BJP  is facing alliance trouble in Jharkhand ahead of assembly polls, the JMM-led opposition coalition’s chief ministerial candidate Hemant Soren said earlier, the allies of the saffron party are deserting the “sinking ship” as they know which way the wind is blowing.

The AJSU party is contesting on its own.

The other parties contesting the elections are Babulal Marandi’s Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), Janata Dal (United) and the Left parties.

Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer Vinay Kumar Choubey said a total of 4,892 polling stations have been set up, out of which 1,262 would have webcasting facilities.’

Additional Director General of Police and state police Nodal Officer Murari Lal Meena said a total of 1,097 polling stations in Naxal-affected areas were marked as hypersensitive and 461 polling stations as sensitive.