Jharkhand: 64.86 pc voter turnout at 5 pm; surpasses 63.9 pc voting in 2019 assembly elections

Voting which commenced at 7 am today, was held peacefully without any incidents of violence and surpassed 63.9 per cent voting in these 43 ACs in the 2019 Assembly Elections.

The Election Commission said that the polling for 43 ACs in phase I of the Jharkhand Assembly elections concluded peacefully today with an impressive turnout of voters.

Polling was marked by a festive mood and enthusiastic participation across all districts, with large tribal populations, including areas affected by Left Wing Extremism.

Voters from diverse groups including first-time voters, the elderly, women, PwD, and tribals among others were seen exercising their franchise at polling stations across the 15 districts that went to polls today, undeterred by threats and boycott calls.

In the Budha Pahad area in the Garhwa district, once considered a stronghold of extremists, long queues, and peaceful polling at the Hesatu Polling station signaled the deep penetration of democratic ethos.

For the first time, this polling station was set up in the Budha Pahad area for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, allowing residents to vote in their own village, they stated.

Simultaneously, bye-polls were also held today in 31 Assembly Constituencies (ACs) in 10 states and in the Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala. 2 ACs in Sikkim were uncontested, the poll body stated.

CEC Shri Rajiv Kumar along with ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu constantly monitored the situation across over 15,000 polling stations.

Meticulous planning and constant vigil by the Commission have ensured that the Jharkhand elections this time have been smooth and streamlined, with no repolls recorded so far. Webcasting was in place in 100 per cent polling stations to ensure transparency of the voting process.

In the Manoharpur and Jaganathpur Assembly constituency of West Singhbhum district, voters chose to cast their vote in spite of boycott posters and threat calls by extremists.

At polling stations in Sonapi in Jaganathpur AC and Rabangada in Manoharpur AC, security forces thwarted attempts to prevent voters from voting through boycott posters and blockades on the way.

The Election Commission said that Tribal voters participated enthusiastically and cast their votes at the polling stations.

For the first time, voters of Lakhaidih village in Potka AC (East Singhbhum district) having a 100 per cent tribal population voted at a polling station set up in their own village. Earlier, they had to travel to a nearby village to cast their vote which is nearly 25 km from the main road and 4 km away through dense forest and hilly route.

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

Polling Stations were adorned with local themes and elements reflecting the culture of Jharkhand and offered a welcoming atmosphere to the voters. Basic facilities including first aid, drinking water, toilets, shed, ramps, wheelchairs and volunteers were ensured at all polling stations.

Vigilance and seizures have been fortified by the coordinated efforts of Enforcement agencies resulting in seizures worth over Rs 183 crores in Jharkhand since the announcement of elections including over Rs 145 crores worth of freebies and Rs. 13 crores in drugs. Polling officials were airlifted for 225 booths in five districts which were inaccessible due to dense forests, tough terrains and LWE, the poll body said.

The provisional voter turnout figures of 64.86 per cent as of 5 pm will continue to be updated AC wise on the Voter Turnout App by the ROs, as and when the polling parties formally close the poll and return from the polling stations based on the geographical/logistical conditions and after scrutiny of statutory papers and consideration of repolls, if any.

Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said that the first phase of polling across 43 assembly constituencies has concluded peacefully.

"All complaints were addressed in time... As of 5 pm, the voter turnout was 64.86 per cent. Close of poll data is being collected across constituencies and will be released around midnight," Kumar said.

Former Jharkhand Congress President Rajesh Thakur said that the BJP does not focus on the rural areas, but the INDIA bloc focuses on the development of rural areas.

"Wherever PM Narendra Modi visited or held a road show, the polling percentage is very low... People from rural areas came out in large numbers to vote for the INDIA bloc... BJP does not focus on the rural areas. Their only focus lies on urban areas," Thakur said.

Voting for the first phase of the Jharkhand assembly elections concluded, with voting taking place in 43 out of the state's 81 seats.

The BJP-led NDA is aiming to unseat the JMM-led coalition, with key candidates such as CM Hemant Soren, former CM Champai Soren, JMM leader Mahua Maji and Congress leader Ajoy Kumar in the fray.

Elections on the remaining 38 seats will be conducted on November 20. The counting of the votes will take place on November 23. (ANI)