Main political parties of Jharkhand today termed the five-phase election as too exhaustive.

“We expected a three-phase polling because five-phase election is a long drawn affair and it will take almost two months,” BJP spokesman Ajay Maroo said in Ranchi.

JMM General Secretary Suprio Bhattacharya said, “We had informed the EC that a regional party can’t sustain a long drawn campaign due to limited resources.”

He said security matters are of prime importance indicating the Maoist problem in the state.

Jharkhand PCC General Secretary Sailesh Sinha echoed Bhattacharya’s statement saying the Congress was prepared for it.

Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay said, “Jharkhand is a naxal-affected state and movement of security forces requires time.”

The RJD leader and Jharkhand Water Resources Minister Annapurna Devi expressed displeasure over the long drawn electoral battle for just 81 seats.
“Only two states are going to polls, and forces should not be a problem. One-phase elections would have been better,” he said.

Officially, 18 out of 24 districts of the state are naxal-hit while Dumka and Pakur districts reported major Maoist incidents.

Dumka SP Amarjeet Balihar was killed last year while several policemen and polling officials were killed or injured during the May Lok Sabha elections.