Jharkhand election 2024 live updates: Over 13% voter turnout in 43 seats till 9am

Election to the 81-member state legislative assembly in Jharkhand began with polling across 43 assembly constituencies on Wednesday, November 13.

The highest voter turnout was in the Simdega seat, at 15.09 per cent, followed by Ranchi, at 12.06 per cent, and Seraikela-Kharsawan, at 14.62 per cent. Nearly 13.04 per cent voter turnout was recorded until 9 am on Wednesday in 43 assembly constituencies.

The highest voter turnout was in the Simdega seat, at 15.09 per cent, followed by Ranchi, at 12.06 per cent, and Seraikela-Kharsawan, at 14.62 per cent.

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 November 20.

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. 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 JMM, Congress, and the 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,” said Returning Officer for the Ranchi Assembly constituency, Utkarsh Kumar.

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 ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) promised 33% reservation to women in government jobs, in addition to focusing on nine areas, including education, agriculture, and tribal rights. The Congress 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 Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and CPI(ML).