Jharkhand polls: At least three cadres belonging to the banned Maoist outfit Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC) were arrested in Palamu district of poll-bound Jharkhand, a police officer said on Tuesday. Palamu Superintendent of Police Reeshma Ramesan said that the Maoist cadres were arrested in Karimati forest under Panki police station on Monday evening.
The TSPC is a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist).
Plan to create disturbance during polls
Ramesan further said that arrested Maoist cadres allegedly had plans to cause disruptions during the Assembly elections scheduled for November 13 and 20.
An AK-47 rifle, a country-made pistol, a country-made firearm and a cache of live cartridges were seized from them, she said. The three TSPC cadres were wanted in more than a dozen cases.
Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024
The elections will take place in two phases, on November 13 and November 20, with counting scheduled for November 23. About 2.60 crore electors, including 11.84 lakh first-time voters and 1.13 lakh persons with disabilities, third-gender individuals, and senior citizens over 85, are expected to vote, compared to 2.23 crore in the 2019 assembly elections. he BJP, which lost power to the JMM-led alliance in Jharkhand in 2019, is looking to reclaim its position in the tribal-dominated state.
In 2019, the JMM-led alliance won 47 seats, wresting power from the BJP in the state. The JMM had won 30 seats, while the Congress bagged 16, and the RJD one. The BJP had secured 25 seats, JVM-P three, AJSU Party two, and the CPI-ML and NCP one each, besides two Independents emerging victorious.
(With PTI inputs)
