Jharkhand Election Highlights: Phase One Voting Ends With 66.51% Voter Turnout, Lohardaga Leads With 73.32%
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According to data from the Election Commission, a voter turnout of 66.51 per cent was recorded across 43 constituencies in the first phase. Lohardaga recorded the highest voting percentage at 73.32 percent. Read more
At the end of the first phase of polling for the assembly elections, EVMs are being sealed at a polling booth in Ranchi.
A voter turnout of 59.28 per cent was recorded till 3 PM in 43 assembly constituencies in the first phase of Jharkhand elections. Polling began around 7 AM in these constituencies across 15 districts and will continue till 5 PM.
Serailkela-Kharsawan district registered the highest voter turnout at 66.38 per cent, followed by Lohardaga (65.99 per cent), Gumla (64.59 per cent) and Simdega (64.31 per cent).
Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday expressed confidence that the BJP will get two-thirds majority in Jharkhand. Chouhan, who is Bharatiya Janata Party's assembly election in-charge in Jharkhand, 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.
Addressing a rally in In Deoghar, Jharkhand, PM Modi expressed confidence that the BJP-NDA will form a government in the state. "I promise that I will visit Jharkhand again after the election results and attend the oath ceremony of the BJP-NDA govt here," he said.
Addressing a public gathering in Jharkhand's Sarath, PM Modi said: "Today, the first phase of voting is underway in Jharkhand. The resolve to protect 'roti, beti, and maati' can be seen in every booth. Massive support is being witnessed towards the guarantees given by BJP for women empowerment and future of the youth".
Former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni along with his wife, Sakshi arrived at a polling booth in Ranchi to cast his vote for Jharkhand polls.
Tata Steel Managing Director, TV Narendran cast his vote at a school in Jamshedpur on Wednesday. "We were in Mumbai, but we came here today because this is our responsibility. I hope everyone who is eligible to vote will come and vote," he said after casting vote.
The voter turnout at 1 am stood at 46.25 per cent with three districts, Khunti, Saraikella-Kharsawan, and Simdega crossing 50 per cent-mark, as per Election Commission of India.
| District | Turnout |
| Chatra | 45.76% |
| East Singhbhum | 44.88% |
| Garhwa | 46.75% |
| Gumla | 52.11% |
| Hazaribagh | 45.77% |
| Khunti | 51.37% |
| Kodarma | 47.33% |
| Latehar | 50.41% |
| Lohardaga | 51.53% |
| Palamu | 44.00% |
| Ramgarh | 46.81% |
| Ranchi | 40.98% |
| Saraikella-Kharsawan | 50.71% |
| Simdega | 50.66% |
| West Singhbhum | 46.41% |
Nagma Rani, a transgender candidate from Hatia seat cast their vote and hoped that people will elect them. "I hope the people of this constituency will elect me. In this hope, I have also cast my vote," said the Independent candidate.
Bihar minister Shravan Kumar claimed the NDA is "moving forward strongly" in Jharkhand as voting for the first phase of assembly elections are underway.
"As per my information, the NDA is moving forward strongly. Our two JD(U) candidates are there in Tamar, and Jamshedpur West, Saryu Roy and Raja Peter are contesting," Kumar said.
"People are voting for JD(U), it looks we will be winning from both the seats, and NDA will form the government," he added.
Former Chief Minister and BJP candidate from Saraikela assembly constituency, Champai Soren cast his vote on Wednesday as the first phase of voting is underway in Jharkhand. "...We have to save the land of Sidho-Kanho and Santhal from Bangladeshi infiltrators...There is no doubt that BJP will form the govt in Jharkhand...Some of the main issues before us are Bangladeshi infiltration, unemployment and irrigation...," he said after casting his vote.
A voter turnout of 29.31 per cent was recorded in the first phase of voting for the Jharkhand assembly at 11 am, according to Election Commission of India.
| District | Turnout |
| Chatra | 29.52% |
| East Singhbhum | 28.34% |
| Garhwa | 30.38% |
| Gumla | 33.86% |
| Hazaribagh | 29.60% |
| Khunti | 34.12% |
| Kodarma | 31.10% |
| Latehar | 30.59% |
| Lohardaga | 33.44% |
| Palamu | 28.36% |
| Ramgarh | 24.17% |
| Ranchi | 24.75% |
| Saraikella-Kharsawan | 32.65% |
| Simdega | 33.18% |
| West Singhbhum | 29.42% |
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren cast his vote along with wife Kalpana Soren in Ranchi. The JMM candidate from Barhait assembly constituency appealed to the people to come out and vote.
"Today, we have cast our votes at our respective polling stations. I appeal to the people of Jharkhand to come out and cast their votes to strengthen the democracy of the country...," he said after casting his vote.
Former Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur exuded confidence in party's win in the state. "The work we have done in 5 years, the fight we have fought for 'Jharkhandi Ashmita'... we are confident that we will win because we have worked for the people. We have campaigned well and we are confident that we will win most of the seats in the first phase of elections today," he said.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha candidate from Ranchi, Mahua Majhi said women's security will be her priority. "I have been working for the welfare of women and will keep doing so. I request the people of the state to come out in large numbers and cast their votes...," she said.
BJP MP Deepak Prakash exercised his franchise along with his family in Ranchi. After casting his vote, Prakash attacked the JMM-led alliance saying they conspire to weaken India.
"Jharkhand has to be developed and corruption free, youth have to be given jobs and employment, women have to be protected from atrocities...This is the resolution of the coming double-engine government...Bangladeshi infiltrators have ruined Jharkhand...They conspire to weaken India ...," the MP said.
Jharkhand recorded a voter turnout of 13.04 per cent in the first two hours of first phase of polling, according to Election Commission of India.
| District | Turnout |
| Chatra | 13.21% |
| East Singhbhum | 11.25% |
| Garhwa | 13.41% |
| Gumla | 13.93% |
| Hazaribagh | 13.20% |
| Khunti | 14.37% |
| Kodarma | 14.97% |
| Latehar | 13.80% |
| Lohardaga | 14.97% |
| Palamu | 11.84% |
| Ramgarh | 14.37% |
| Ranchi | 12.06% |
| Saraikella-Kharsawan | 14.62% |
| Simdega | 15.09% |
| West Singhbhum | 13.80% |
Rajya Sabha chairman Harivansh showed his inked finger after casting vote in Ranchi. "...Voting is the strength of a democracy. Through elections, we choose our representatives who later work for the welfare of society and the country...We should work to achieve the dreams for which Jharkhand was formed. We are far away from achieving that dream...," he said after exercising his franchise.
Congress candidate from Jamshedpur East, Ajoy Kumar cast his vote at a polling station in the constituency and thanked people for their support.
"I just want to thank the people of Jamshedpur for pouring love in me. People should come out and cast their votes. I have always served the people of Jamshedpur and will continue to do so if given the opportunity," he said.
Union Minister Sanjay Seth cast vote in Ranchi as the first phase of voting is underway in the state. He exuded confidence in BJP's victory and invoked the 'infiltrator' jibe against the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha led alliance. "The people of Jharkhand are fed up with corruption in these 5 years...BJP will win here with a two-third majority... Is Jharkhand a Dharamshala, a refugee centre? Infiltrators are being called here from Bangladesh...BJP has taken a resolution that from November 24, Bangladeshi infiltrators will be thrown out of the border...Yesterday, the Health Minister here, Banna Gupta said that 'Hindus are extremists'...It is their tradition to abuse Hinduism for vote bank...," he said.
NDA candidate from Jamshedpur, Saryu Roy cast his vote at a polling station on Jamshedpur West. "Results on November 23 will tell what will happen. We hope that there will be a change and NDA government will be formed in the state...," he said after casting vote.
Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar cast his vote in Ranchi as soon as the voting began for the first phase. "I appeal to the people to exercise their franchise and vote in large numbers. The way voting took place in Jammu and Kashmir, people voted in large numbers. It should be celebrated like a festival," he said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah urged the people to vote for "infiltration free" Jharkhand as the first phase of voting began. "I appeal to all the voters going to vote in the first phase of Jharkhand to cast record votes for the creation of a corruption, infiltration and appeasement free and developed Jharkhand," said the Union minister in a post on X. "Vote in large numbers for the protection of tribal identity, security of women and employment for the youth in Jharkhand," he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the people of Jharkhand to vote with full enthusiasm as the first phase of voting began at 7 am.
In a post on X, Modi said: "Today is the first round of voting in the Jharkhand assembly elections. I urge all voters to vote with full enthusiasm in this festival of democracy. On this occasion, my heartiest congratulations to all my young friends who are going to vote for the first time."
Polling begins on all 43 of the 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand.
Odisha Governor Raghubar Das appealed the people to step out and vote as the first phase of voting is set to begin in Jharkhand. "I will go to cast my vote with my family. The elections in Jharkhand are happening in two phases. I appeal to all the people of Jharkhand to cast their votes in the first phase of elections...," he said.
Mock polls are underway in Jharkhand ahead of first phase of voting in 43 of the 81 assembly polls in the fray today. "We are fully prepared and the mock poll procedure is in the final stage. We are committed that our voters do not phase any trouble," Presiding Officer of a polling booth told ANI.
The voting will begin at 7 am and continue till 5 pm. However, in 950 of the 15,344 polling stations, the voting will end at 4 pm and the people standing in the queue at that time will be allowed to exercise their franchise.
The JMM-led INDIA bloc in the state campaigned promising welfare schemes and accusing the BJP-led Centre of "unleashing" all central agencies including ED, CBI and I-T against the opposition .Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his wife and legislator Kalpana Soren were among the top shots from the coalition who campaigned in the state.
To counter BJP's 'Gogo Didi' scheme of providing Rs 2,100 financial assistance to women per month, the JMM promised to give Rs 2,500. It also promised 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs, bringing domicile policy based on 1932 as the cut-off year for land records, implementation of Sarna Dharma Code, and hiking reservations for the OBC, SC and ST communities to 27 per cent, 12 per cent, and 28 per cent respectively.
The BJP has been riding on the agenda of infiltrators, Uniform Civil Code in its high-octane election campaign which included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP chief JP Nadda, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma.
"Driving out infiltrators", implementing Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Rs 2,100 per month to every woman and 5 lakh employment opportunities for the youth are some of the promises by the BJP.
Former Chief Minister Champai Soren is contesting on a BJP ticket from Seraikela against JMM's Ganesh Mahli. BJP's Geeta Kora, wife of former CM Madhu Koda will enter the fray from Jagannathpur against Congress' Sona Ram Sinku. Congress veteran Rameshwar Oraon will contest against AJSU Party's Shanti Bhagat in Lohardaga.
An estimated 1.37 crore registered voters are expected to seal the fate of 683 candidates in the fray for the first phase of voting in the Jharkhand Assembly elections. Of the 683 candidates,
609 are men, 73 women and one of the third gender person.
The polling will be held on 43 of the 81 assembly seats with 17 reserved for general category, 20 for Scheduled Tribes and six for Scheduled Castes.
Background
Jharkhand Assembly Election LIVE: Stay tuned for all the latest updates related to Jharkhand Assembly election's first phase of polling.
Voting for the first phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections will be held today as the ruling JMM-Congress-RJD alliance battle it out with NDA's BJP, JD(U), and LJP to retain power in the state. The next phase will be held on November 20, with the counting of votes scheduled to be held on November 23.
In the first phase, a total of 683 candidates, including 609 men, 73 women, and one person from the third gender, will be competing for 43 seats.
The prominent leaders who are in the fray in this phase include former Chief Minister Champai Soren, who will be contesting on a BJP ticket after quitting JMM. He has been fielded from his traditional stronghold in Saraikela, from where has won six times since 1991, only facing defeat in 2000. This time, Champai Soren is up against Ganesh Mahali of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), who was previously the BJP candidate. Other key seats to watch out for are Ranchi, Jamshedpur West, Jagannathpur, and Jamshedpur East.
The assembly constituencies going to polls on November 13 include Kodarma, Hazaribagh, Chatra, Baharagora, Ghatsilla, Potka, Barkagaon, Simaria, Ichagarh, Chaibasa, Jugsalai, Manoharpur, Tamar, Torpa, Khunti, Hatia, Majhgaon, Gumla, Bishunpur, Lohardaga, Simdega, Manika, Latehar, Panki Chhatarpur, Daltonganj, Bhawanathpur, Kolebira, Gumla, and Mandar, among others.
Out of the total 81 seats, 44 are general constituencies, 28 are reserved for scheduled tribes (ST), and nine for scheduled castes (SC).
The state has a total of 2.59 crore voters, with 1.31 crore male and 1.28 crore female electors. Voters aged between 20 and 29 number 66.84 lakh, with 11.84 lakh first-time voters aged 18 and 19.
In the 2019 Assembly elections, the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance won 25 of these 43 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to bag just 13. The remaining seats were split among Independents (2), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (1), and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) (1).
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