Jharkhand recorded 67.59 per cent polling till 5 pm, surpassing the 67.04 percent in the same 38 seats in 2019 Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said after the second and final phase of polling on Wednesday.

The results of Jharkhand and Maharashtra assembly polls along with by-polls to 15 other Assemblies and one Parliamentary constituency in 15 other states will be announced on November 23.

Voting to 43 of 81 Assembly seats in Jharkhand were held on the first phase on November 13. In the first phase too, the voters had outnumbered the polling percentage of 2019 elections.

Jamtara, as per the ECI, recorded the highest turnout at 76.16 per cent, followed by Pakur with 75.88 per cent, and Deoghar with 72.46 per cent.

The urban apathy towards elections showed up at Bokaro which recorded the lowest turnout of 60.97 per cent. While Dhanbad recorded 63.39 per cent, Hazaribagh had a voter turnout of 64.41 per cent, Sahebganj 65.63 per cent, Giridih 65.89 per cent, Godda 67.24 per cent, Dumka 71.74 per cent, and Ramgarh 71.98 per cent, according to the data released by the ECI.

Ranchi, the state capital, showed a turnout of 72.01 per cent by 5pm.

Prominent leaders whose fate were sealed today include current JMM Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who is seeking a third term from Barhait in Sahibganj district, his wife Kalpana Soren Murmu, contesting from the Gandey constituency in Giridih district, and BJP state president Babulal Marandi, who is the in the fray from Dhanwar seat also in Giridih district.

The primary contest in the Jharkhand Assembly polls is between the Mahagathbandhan and BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Polling progressed from 7 am in an orderly manner with voters showing up in large numbers across the 38 seats across 12 districts. The commission said it had made a concerted efforts to expand the participation amongst tribal voters including in the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas of Giridih.

Accordingly, right from enrolment to polling booths, a conducive and welcoming atmosphere encouraged tribal voters to show up at the polling booths. Forty-eight Unique Polling Stations were set up for Phase-II which were adorned by themes reflecting tribal culture and elements.

Ahead of the elections, 100 per cent enrolment of the 1.78 lakh members from 8 PVTGs in the State was ensured in the electoral roll.

By-polls

Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, taking cognisance of complaints regarding arbitrary checking and prevention of voters from voting in certain ACs, the Commission after a thorough enquiry, ordered the suspension of police personnel in Moradabad, Kanpur and Muzaffarnagar for violating the guidelines regarding checking of voters.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar strictly directed all concerned DEOs/SPs and 13 central observers to ensure a free, fair and impartial election process without any bias against any community. Polling was conducted in 9 Assembly seats of UP.

Four assembly seats in Punjab, Kedarnath constituency in Uttarakhand and 1 AC, 56-Palakkad in Kerala also went to bypolls today.

A constant and unceasing vigil was maintained over attempts at vitiating the level-playing field through money, narcotics and other inducements in these elections, stated the ECI.

Seizure figures crossed the ₹1,000 crore mark and stood at ₹1,139 crore since the announcement of the Assembly elections and the bye-elections and the enforcement of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) on October 15, 2024.

The combined seizure figure of Jharkhand and Maharashtra comes to ₹914.18 crore, which is over 7.5 times the figures of 2019 polls. Near perfect coordination was maintained between multiple law enforcement agencies under constant supervision and review by the Commission to curb the role of money and muscle power, it added.

Related Topics