Jharkhand: Blast rocks Palamu hours before voting, 4 dead

At least four people, including three minors, were killed in an explosion in Jharkhand’s Palamu on Sunday. A senior police officer said that the blast took place at a site owned by a scrap dealer in Manatu police station area, about 190 kilometres from the state capital Ranchi. The incident took place on the eve of Lok Sabha elections on four seats including Palamu. 

Palamu Superintendent of Police (SP) Rishma Ramesan said that four people, including three minors, died in the incident. “We are investigating the incident from every angle, including the possibility of a bomb blast,” she said.

There are also reports of people getting injured in this explosion. The injured have been admitted to the hospital. Notably, polling for the Lok Sabha elections will take place in Palamu on Monday. The cause of the explosion has not been revealed yet. At present the police are investigating the matter.

Fouth phase voting for Lok Sabha elections to take place on May 13

Voting is slated for four Lok Sabha constituencies of Jharkhand – Singhbhum, Khunti, Lohardaga and Palamu. As per the state election officer report, more than 64.37 lakh eligible voters, including 32.07 lakh women, are ready to exercise their democratic right. The slogan ‘Is baar, din bhar vote’ (This time, vote all day long) has been given to maximise the turnout.

Of the four Lok Sabha seats, three are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST), while Palamu is designated for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates. A total of 45 candidates are contesting the elections, including seven from Khunti, 15 from Lohardaga, nine from Palamu and 14 from Singhbhum. Additionally, 7,595 polling stations have been set up across the constituencies.

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