Jharkhand Elections Phase 1: Around 65 per cent voter turnout reported, Gumla tops with 69 per cent

At the end of the first phase of polling for the assembly elections in Jharkhand, ECI officials were seen sealing EVMs at a polling booth in Ranchi. 

According to the election commission of India, around 64.86 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm in the Jharkhand Elections Phase 1. 

Assam CM and BJP Jharkhand co-incharge Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "We have not written our election manifesto overnight. We took ideas from the governance model of BJP-governed states, talked to the people of Jharkhand, and took 4-5 months of extensive deliberations before drafting our manifesto... Money won't be a problem for us in Jharkhand. The state has been blessed with natural resources... JMM wants to keep Jharkhand in the clutches of poverty, but it has the potential to be the most prosperous state of the country..."

On West Bengal by-polls, BJP leader Rahul Sinha said, "The elections are not being conducted fairly. The public has been unable to vote at various locations. If the counting will be conducted fairly, I am hopeful that we will put on a strong performance in the election"

According to the election commission of India, over 59 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 3 pm in the Jharkhand Elections Phase 1. 

The Vav assembly seat in Gujarat's Banaskantha district recorded 39. 12 per cent voter turnout till 1 pm on Wednesday as polling was underway for the by-election in the constituency, as per the data shared by poll authorities.

Former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni cast his vote at a polling booth in Ranchi.

Polling was by and large peaceful in six assembly seats of West Bengal where voter turnout of over 45 per cent was recorded till 1 pm during by-elections on Wednesday, an election official said. Polling in Sitai, Madarihat, Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur, and Taldangra assembly constituencies started at 7 am, amid tight security arrangements, he said.
Voting will continue till 5 pm, he added.

Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday expressed confidence that the BJP will get two-thirds majority in Jharkhand, where the first phase of polling is underway. He also said that people will vote for his party in order to end the "corrupt" rule of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alliance. Chouhan is Bharatiya Janata Party's assembly election in-charge in Jharkhand.

A voter turnout of 49.3 per cent was recorded till 1 pm on Wednesday for the by-election to Gambegre assembly constituency in Meghalaya, an official said. Voting began at 7 AM amid tight security arrangements, he said. Long queues of electors were seen outside several polling stations in the constituency.

A voter turnout of 46.25 per cent was recorded till 1 PM on Wednesday in 43 assembly constituencies in Jharkhand where voting is underway in the first phase, officials said. Polling began around 7 AM in these constituencies across 15 districts and will continue till 5 PM. A total of 683 candidates are in the fray, including former CM Champai Soren and ex-MP Geeta Koda. Gumla district registered the highest voter turnout at 52.11 per cent, followed by 51.53 per cent at Lohardaga, 51.37 per cent in Khunti and 50.71 per cent in Seraikela--Kharsawan district. Simdega recorded 50.66 per cent voting, followed by 50.41 per cent in Latehar, 47.33 per cent in Koderma and 46.81 per cent in Ramgarh.

A voter turnout of 34.77 per cent was registered till 1 PM on Wednesday in the bypolls to Tarari, Imamganj, Belaganj and Ramgarh assembly seats in Bihar, an official said and added that voting is scheduled to continue till 6 pm. Voting will continue till 4 PM at certain polling stations in the Imamganj constituency, he added.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren accused the BJP of maligning his and the state's image through "shadow campaigns". He alleged that the saffron camp has been "spending crores of money on various social media platforms" and "created 95,000 Whatsapp groups" to campaign against the JMM-led coalition in the state. Hitting out at the saffron party, Soren claimed that "dictators may possess billions of rupees" but he believed it was "better to stick to principles rather than securing a win through unfair means".

Emotional scenes were witnessed at the polling stations set up for the survivors of the landslides, which hit the hill district in July this year, to cast their votes in the bypoll for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency when they saw their neighbours and close friends after a long time since the disaster. The survivors hugged each other with joy and then broke into tears as they recalled how they all lived together as one big happy family before the landslides swept away everything on July 30.
 

A voter turnout of over 30 per cent was recorded till 11 AM on Wednesday for bypolls to six assembly seats in West Bengal, an election official said. Polling in Sitai, Madarihat, Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur and Taldangra assembly constituencies started at 7 AM, amid tight security arrangements, he said. Voting will continue till 5 PM, he added. "Polling has been peaceful. No untoward incident has been reported from the constituencies where voting is underway," the Election Commission official said. According to the poll panel, 32 per cent turnout was registered in Taldangra assembly constituency followed by 31.86 per cent in Madarihat, Haroa (31.20 pc), Medinipur (30.25 pc), Sitai (29 pc) and Naihati (25.17 pc).

Over 30 per cent of 9.1 lakh electors cast their votes in the first four hours of polling on Wednesday during by-elections to five assembly constituencies in Assam, according to official data. According to the Election Commission, approximately 30.31 per cent of 9,09,057 electors, including 4,54,963 women and 19 third gender, exercised their franchise in the first four hours till 11 AM to decide the fate of 34 candidates. There are also 2,617 service voters in these five constituencies, where polling is taking place according to pre-delimitation data, an official said.

Close to 11 per cent votes were cast in the bypolls to the seven assembly seats in Rajasthan between 7 am and 9 am on Wednesday, an election department official said. According to the official, 10.51 per cent of votes were cast till 9 am.

A voter turnout of 27 per cent was recorded in the first two hours of polling on Wednesday for by-election to Gambegre assembly constituency in Meghalaya, an official said. Voting began at 7 AM amid tight security arrenagements, he said.

The Vav assembly seat in Gujarat's Banaskantha district recorded 14.25 per cent voter turnout till 9 am on Wednesday as polling was underway for the byelection in the constituency, as per the data shared by poll authorities. Polling began at 7 am, with BJP candidate Swarupji Thakor being among the early voters. Congress nominee Gulabsinh Rajput, who is not a registered voter in Vav, offered prayers at a temple in Dhima village of the constituency in the morning. Rajput is registered as a voter in Tharad constituency of the district.

An estimated overall 10.14 per cent voter turnout was recorded during the first two hours, since the voting began for by-polls to three Assembly segments in Karnataka on Wednesday, election officials said. The voting began at 7 am and will go on till 6 pm. More than seven lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in about 770 polling stations in Shiggaon, Sandur and Channapatna, where a total of 45 candidates are in the fray.

Voters queued up on Wednesday morning at polling booths for the byelection to Vav assembly seat in Gujarat's Banaskantha district, where the ruling BJP candidate and Congress nominee are the main contestants. Voting began at 7 am, with BJP candidate Swarupji Thakor being among the early voters. The polling will continue till 6 pm. Congress candidate and former MLA Gulabsinh Rajput and BJP's Thakor are the main contestants, but the presence of saffron party rebel Mavji Patel has made it an interesting fight. Seven other candidates -- six independents and one from the Bharatiya Jan Parishad party -- are also in the fray for the bypoll, which was necessitated following the resignation of Congress MLA Geniben Thakor, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Banaskantha in June.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah appealed to those voting in the first phase of the Jharkhand Assembly polls on Wednesday to exercise their franchise in record numbers to end corruption, infiltration and appeasement in the state. "I appeal to all the voters going to vote in the first phase of polling in Jharkhand to cast record votes for the creation of a Jharkhand which is free from corruption, infiltration and appeasement, and is developed," Shah wrote on X in Hindi. The home minister said the people of Jharkhand should vote in large numbers to protect tribal identity, land, security of women, and employment for the youth.

Voting for 43 assembly seats in Jharkhand commenced on Wednesday with a total of 683 candidates trying their luck, including former CM Champai Soren and ex-MP Geeta Kora. Polling began around 7 AM in these constituencies across 15 districts and will continue till 5 PM. However, voting in 950 booths will end at 4 pm, though people standing in the queue at that time will be able to exercise their franchise, an official said. While the JMM-led coalition is seeking to retain power riding on its welfare schemes, including Maiyan Samman Yojna, the BJP has been campaigning with its aggressive Hindutva agenda, infiltration and alleged corruption by the current dispensation.

Key candidates in the first phase include former Chief Minister and BJP candidate Champai Soren, who is contesting from Seraikella. In Jamshedpur East, Congress leader Ajoy Kumar is pitted against Purnima Das Sahu, daughter-in-law of former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Odisha Governor Raghubar Das. In Jamshedpur West, Congress leader Banna Gupta is up against JD(U) leader Saryu Roy, who had defeated Raghubar Das in the previous election. In Jaganathpur, BJP's Geeta Koda, wife of former Chief Minister Madhu Koda, is contesting against Congress leader Sona Ram Sinku. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has fielded sitting Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji from Ranchi. 

Out of the 43 seats, 17 are reserved for general category candidates, 20 for Scheduled Tribes and six for Scheduled Castes. A total of 15,344 polling stations have been set up for the first phase of elections. Of those, 12,716 are located in rural areas and 2,628 in urban areas.

A total of 1.37 crore voters out of the total 2.60 crore are eligible to participate in the voting today. Of the 683 candidates, 609 are men, 73 women and one of the third gender person.

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, are competing for seats in the first phase.

Jharkhand is geared up for polling in 43 of the 81 assembly seats in the first phase on Wednesday, when the electoral fate of 683 candidates, including former chief minister Champai Soren and ex-MP Geeta Koda will be decided. 

List of constituencies going to polls in Jharkhand Phase 1: 

1. Kodarma
2. Barkatha
3. Barhi
4. Barkagaon
5. Hazaribagh
6. Simaria (SC)
7. Chatra (SC)
8. Baharagora
9. Ghatsila (ST)
10. Potka (ST)
11. Jugsalai (SC)
12. Jamshedpur East
13. Jamshedpur West
14. Ichagarh
15. Seraikella (ST)
16. Chaibasa (ST)
17. Majhgaon (ST)
18. Jaganathpur (ST)
19. Manoharpur (ST)
20. Chakradharpur (ST)
21. Kharsawan (ST)
22. Tamar (ST)
23. Torpa (ST)
24. Khunti (ST)
25. Ranchi
26. Hatia
27. Kanke (SC)
28. Mandar (ST)
29. Sisai (ST)
30. Gumla (ST)
31. Bishunpur (ST)
32. Simdega (ST)
33. Kolebira (ST)
34. Lohardaga (ST)
35. Manika (ST)
36. Latehar (SC)
37. Panki
38. Daltonganj
39. Bishrampur
40. Chhatarpur (SC)
41. Hussainabad
42. Garhwa
43. Bhawanathpur