Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana Soren casts her vote in Ranchi

She cast her vote at the designated polling booth at St Francis School in the capital city Ranchi in Jharkhand.

After casting her vote she appealed to voters to come out and exercise their franchise to protect democracy and the Constitution.

"Today, I exercised my right to vote by participating in this great festival of elections for the massive victory of justice over injustice. An appeal to all of you is to reach your polling booth in large numbers and exercise your right to vote to protect democracy and the Constitution. If Hemant is there then there is courage. Jharkhand will not bow down, INDIA will not stop," she said.

Earlier in another appeal to voters, she said that the winds of change were blowing in the country.

"The winds of change that are blowing in the country have not happened due to the hard work of any leader or political party but due to the people. The people who are troubled by injustice, lies, exploitation and oppression are voting for their inclusive, bright and secure future. Today is the sixth phase of the total 7 phases of elections being held in the country. Today in Jharkhand too, the people of Giridih, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and Ranchi Lok Sabha constituencies will vote for the massive victory of justice over injustice and to protect their rights," she said.

Notably, the JMM is part of the INDIA bloc and is contesting elections in alliance with the Congress in Jharkhand and Odisha.

From the Ranchi Lok Sabha constituency, the JMM-Congress-led bloc has filed Yashaswini Sahay from the seat, while BJP-led NDA has filed Sanjay Seth from the seat, who is bidding for the second term from the seat.

Voting for the sixth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections began on Saturday morning across 58 parliamentary constituencies spread over six states and two Union Territories (UTs) amid tight security and arrangements.

The voting started at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm, with those in line by the closing time still allowed to vote.

The sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls includes eight seats in Bihar, all 10 seats in Haryana, one seat in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Jharkhand, all seven seats in Delhi, six in Odisha, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, and eight in West Bengal. A total of 889 candidates are in the fray.

According to the data of the Election Commission, Jharkhand recorded 27.80 per cent of the voter turnout till 11 am.

The four seats of Jharkhand that are undergoing the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls are Ranchi, Dhanbad, Giridih and Jamshedpur.

In 2019, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 12 seats in Jharkhand, with the former alone winning 11. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress got one seat each.

The general elections are being held in seven phases and the counting is scheduled for June 4. (ANI)