Amid tight security, 43 constituencies are all set to go to polls in the first phase in Jharkhand on Wednesday. Ahead of the voting, Returning Officer for Ranchi Assembly constituency Utkarsh Kumar said that the mock poll will begin at 5.30 am after which polling will commence.
"Polling parties for all 374 polling booths have gathered here to collect polling material. Later, they will leave for their respective booths in GPS-tracked vehicles. The mock poll will begin at 5.30 am, after which polling will start. 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," he said.
Adequate security deployed at polling booths
He further said that adequate security has been deployed at every polling booth. "In more sensitive places CAPF has been deployed. In other places, district police have been deployed. For patrolling police officials have been deployed. EVMs would be escorted by police to the Bhawan after polling. In the strongroom, three-layer security has been provided as per Election Commission directions. Everything is being CCTV monitored," he further added.
Voting in 43 constituencies is scheduled for Wednesday while the second phase is scheduled for November 20 in the remaining 38 constituencies. The votes will be counted on November 23. In the previous assembly election, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha won 30 seats, the BJP won 25 and Congress won 16 seats.
15,344 polling stations set up across Jharkhand
In total, 15,344 polling stations have been set up across the state. Over 200 companies of security forces are deployed in strategic locations to maintain order and safeguard the electoral process. A total of 683 contenders, including 73 women, competed for seats in this phase.
A total of 1.37 crore voters out of the total 2,60 crore are eligible to participate in the voting on November 13.
683 candidates in fray in first phase
Altogether 683 candidates - 609 men, 73 women and a third gender person - are in the fray in 43 seats, Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said.
Out of the 43, 17 seats are reserved for general, 20 for scheduled tribes and 6 seats for scheduled castes. A total of 15,344 polling stations have been set up for the first phase of elections. Out of them, 12,716 booths are located in rural areas and 2,628 booths in urban areas.
In the first phase, voting will be held on November 13 from 7 am to 5 pm. However, in 950 booths, the voting time will end at 4 pm, though people standing in the queue at that time will be able to vote. Curtains came down on Monday on campaigning for 43 of the total 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand going to the polls on November 13 during the first phase of elections.
Star campaigners of both the NDA and INDIA bloc including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and others canvassed for their respective party nominees during the campaigning.
Key factors to influence Jharkhand polls
Key factors that are likely to influence the election include the BJP's central welfare schemes and the arrest and subsequent bail of Soren by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The ruling alliance claims the arrest was politically motivated, as Soren was detained in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land fraud.
In the 2019 assembly elections, the contest was close, with the JMM winning 30 seats and the BJP securing 25, down from 37 in 2014. The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance won a comfortable majority with 47 seats.
Currently, the strength of the assembly stands at 74, with the JMM-led ruling alliance comprising 44 members — 26 from the JMM, 17 from Congress, and one from RJD.
