In Jharkhand, tight security arrangements have been made for the first phase of elections scheduled to be held tomorrow. In this phase 26 out of 81 constituencies will go to polls. Polling will start at 7 in the morning and will continue upto 3 p. m. Director General of Police B. D. Ram said jawans of central para military forces have been deployed on all polling booths to ensure free and fair polls. He said the State police, SAP jawans and homeguards have also been engaged in election duties. The Election Commission has appointed 41 observers and one thousand micro observers to monitor election process. The Joint Chief Electoral officer of Jharkhand A. K. Sinha told AIR that elaborate arrangements have been made for smooth polling. The state administration has appealed the electorates of the state to turn out in large numbers to exercise their right of franchise.<br/><br/>Over 65 lakh voters will decide the electoral fortune of 470 candidates including 212 independents and 34 female candidates. Important candidates whose fate will be decided includes Furkan Ansari of congress from Jamtara, Suraj Mandal of JMM from Poraiyahat, State BJP President Raghubar Das from East Jamshedpur ,State Janata Dal ( United ) President Jaleshwar Mahato from Baghmara and Former Speaker Alamgir Alam from Pakur. This phase of elections is crucial for NDA as it had wrested 15 seats out of 26 in the last elections. JMM got six, congress 3 one each went to RJD and All India Forward bloc.<br/><br/>Moreover in Jharkhand polling for the Barkatha assembly would be held on December 18 along with 15 others constituencies during the fifth phase of polls. The election process in this constituency was adjourned following the sudden death of BJP candidate Chitranjan Yadav. As per the previous schedule polling in Barkatha was to be held on December 2 during the second phase. The Election Commission has instructed BJP to nominate another candidate Latest by December 1. The scrutiny of nomination filed in this constituency would be done on December 2. The last date of withdrawl of nominations would be on December 4.