POLLING in the first phase of elections to 43 Assembly seats in Jharkhand remained peaceful, with over 66.18 per cent of 1.37 crore voters exercising their franchise on Wednesday, officials said. Despite almost half of the 15,334 booths, where polling took place, being in the critical category, no Naxal violence was reported barring one of two incidents in which Maoists tried to prevent voters from reaching booths in West Singhbhum district but the attempts were thwarted by the police and administration, they said. “Approximately 66.18 per cent voter turnout was recorded as per data calculated till 9.50 pm, with Lohardaga district topping the list with 73.21 per cent polling and Hazaribag district recording the lowest at 62.78 per cent,” a poll official said.

 

he overall polling percentage in the State surpassed 63.9 per cent recorded in the 2019 assembly polls, according to the Election Commission. With this, the fate of 683 candidates, including former Congress MP Geeta Kora and Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji among 73 women nominees, in fray in the first phase has been sealed. Barring Lohardaga and Hazaribag, the poll percentage in other districts were Seraikela-Kharsawan (76.02), Gumla (69.01), Simdega (68.74), Khunti (68.36), Garhwa (68.42), Latehar (67.16), West Singhbhum (66.87), Ramgarh (66.32), East Singhbhum (67.10), Chatra (64), Palamu (62.97), Koderma (62.15) and Ranchi (62.56). West Singhbhum, one of the most Maoist-affected districts in the state saw increase in voting. West Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Kuldeep Chaudhary told PTI, “Polling was peaceful and overall turnout increased in all five constituencies -- Chaibasa, Majhgaon, Jagannathpur, Manoharpur and Chakradharpur -- to 69.96 per cent, 70.80 per cent, 69.84 per cent, 64.03 per cent and 68.61 per cent, respectively, from 66.49 per cent, 68.03 per cent, 65.02 per cent, 61.19 per cent and 65.80 per cent, respectively, in 2019.”

 

Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said,“The election process was peaceful and remained free of incidents. Voting in urban areas was not as per expectations while in rural areas the turnout has increased.” IG (Operations) Amol V Homkar said polling was peaceful despite 7,851 booths being in the critical category, and 2,249 in the extreme critical category, out of a total of 15,334 booths. A total of 600 companies of central armed forces, 60 companies of Jharkhand Armed Police, 15,291 personnel of state armed forces and 14,000 homeguards were deputed in view of sensitivity and Naxal menace, he said, adding that monitoring was being done through flying squads besides special communication system was established for 286 booths where communication was a challenge. A total of 683 candidates -- 609 men, 73 women and one of the third - - are trying their luck in the 43 seats.

 

These seats are divided into 17 general, 20 reserved for Scheduled Tribes, and six for Scheduled Castes. Former chief minister and BJP candidate Champai Soren is pitted against JMM rival Ganesh Mahali in Seraikela seat, while the ex-CM’s son Babulal Soren is contesting from Ghatsila against JMM candidate and Jharkhand cabinet minister Ram Das Soren. Former CM Madhu Koda’s wife and ex-MP Geeta Kora is trying her luck from Jagannathpur on a BJP ticket against sitting Congress MLA Sona Ram Sinku. In Potka, former Union minister and ex-CM Arjun Munda’s wife Meera Munda is contesting against sitting JMM MLA Sanjib Sardar. Congress leader Rameshwar Oraon is up against AJSU’s Shanti Bhagat in Lohardaga and JD(U)’s Saryu Roy is facing Congress’s Banna Gupta in Jamshedpur West.