Over 59% voter turnout till 3 pm in Jharkhand, Ranchi records lowest at 53%

Election to the 81-member state legislative assembly in Jharkhand began on Nov 13, with polling across 43 assembly constituencies amid tight security arrangements.

Over 59% voter turnout was recorded in 43 seats till 3 pm, according to officials.

Until 1 p.m., nearly 46.25% voter turnout was recorded in 43 assembly constituencies. Khunti district registered the highest voter turnout at 34.12 % until 11 a.m., followed by 33.86 % in Gumla, 33.44 % in Lohardaga, and 33.18 % in Simdega, officials said.

The 43 constituencies include 17 general seats, 20 reserved for Scheduled Tribes, and six for Scheduled Castes. The remaining 38 seats will vote in phase two polling on Nov 20 and the results will be declared on Nov 23.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has made elaborate security arrangements as 950 polling booths have been identified as “sensitive” across 31 constituencies. The mock poll began at 5.30 am, with regular polling set to begin at 7 am and continue till 5 pm, officials were quoted as saying.
The voting will end at 4 pm at “sensitive” booths.

A total of 638 candidates, including 73 women, are contesting for 43 seats in the first phase. In the previous assembly election, Hemant Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha won 30 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party won 25 and Congress bagged 16 seats.

A coalition of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) formed the government after the last assembly elections, with Hemant Soren becoming the chief minister.

“All basic facilities, including drinking water, toilets, and web-casting facilities, are available at all polling stations. All preparations are in place for polling. Security and CAPF deployed at polling stations. All rules and regulations laid down by the Election Commission are being followed,” Utkarsh Kumar, Returning Officer for the Ranchi Assembly constituency was quoted as saying.

Pertinently, in the election manifesto, the BJP-led NDA listed out 25 promises. Among them is the vow to “drive out infiltrators” coming from Bangladesh into the state. The party also promised to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), with a promise to protect identities of tribal communities.

The JMM promised 33% reservation to women in government jobs, in addition to focusing on nine areas, including education, agriculture, and tribal rights.

The Congress in its manifesto promised 250 units of free electricity, a caste-based census, and the filling up of all vacant government posts within a year. Both parties are part of the India bloc, which includes the RJD and Communist Party of India CPI (ML).