Ranchi, April 20 (Inditop) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday demanded deployment of central paramilitary forces at all polling booths in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls in Jharkhand to ensure fair and peaceful elections.

“The Election Commission failed to conduct free, fair and peaceful elections in the first phase of polling. Large number of people including security personnel were killed in the first phase of polling which exposed the security claims of conducting fair elections,” state BJP president Raghubar Das told IANS.

Das said: “We demand that central paramilitary forces should be deployed at all polling stations of the state to ensure peaceful and fair election. From day one we have been saying that free and fair election cannot take place in the state under President’s Rule. There were no fool-proof security arrangements despite the fact there was a threat perception.”

He charged state Governor Syed Sibte Razi of working as an agent of the Congress. Jharkhand is under president’s rule since Jan 19.

In the first phase, elections took place in six Lok Sabha seats; the other eight seats will go to the polls in the second phase.

“The Congress and other political parties are unnerved in the state as there is a wave in favour of BJP. The BJP is all set to win more than 10 of the 14 seats in the state,” Das claimed.