JVM’s Ajoy Kumar (from top), Trinamul’s Suman Mahto and BJP’s Dineshanand Goswami sign off in style from various parts of Jamshedpur on Wednesday, the last day of campaigning for the July 1 Lok Sabha by-election. (Bhola Prasad)

Jamshedpur, June 29: The state government will be using choppers to keep an eye on 105 highly sensitive booths for the July 1 Jamshedpur by-election, campaigning for which ended at 3pm today.

Alarmed by stepped up Maoist activity in neighbouring West Singhbhum, the East Singhbhum district administration is leaving nothing to chance for the crucial Lok Sabha by-election, the outcome of which is likely to impact the future of the Arjun Munda-led BJP-JMM-Ajsu coalition government.

Returning officer and deputy commissioner, East Singhbhum, Himani Pande said the state government had agreed to their request for two helicopters for aerial surveillance of the sensitive booths.

“One helicopter will be stationed at Jamshedpur while another would be kept ready at Ranchi for exigencies. We have identified 105 booths as highly sensitive and vulnerable and video cameras would be installed there for recording the voting,” she said.

Pande said as many as 22 cases had been lodged for violating the model code of conduct in various police stations of the of the district. Observers, she added, were now verifying expense statements submitted by candidates.

SSP East Singhbhum Akhilesh Kumar Jha said police had made 2,400 preventive arrest across the district to ensure voting was peaceful.