The second and final phase of voting for 38 out of 81 assembly constituencies in Jharkhand began at 7 AM on Wednesday, November 20. The voting will continue until 5 PM. This phase will determine the fate of 528 candidates, including those from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and Chief Minister Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren, and BJP leader and opposition candidate Amar Kumar Bauri.
Key Political Battles
The elections mark a fierce contest between the ruling JMM-led INDIA bloc and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The first phase of voting took place on November 13. Today’s polling is being conducted across 14,218 polling stations, with voting concluding at 4 PM at 31 specific centres.
Voter Demographics In Jharkhand
A total of 12.3 million voters, including 6.08 million women, are eligible to cast their votes in this phase. Among the 528 candidates in the fray, 472 are men, 55 are women, and one is a transgender individual.
The JMM-led alliance is banking on its welfare policies to retain power, while the BJP campaigned on issues such as Hindutva, alleged infiltration from Bangladesh, and corruption charges against the current government.
Election Preparedness In Jharkhand
Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar confirmed that all arrangements for the polling process are top notch. Ahead of the elections, authorities seized contraband and cash worth approximately Rs 200 crore since the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct. Additionally, 90 cases of code violations have been registered so far.
Of the 38 seats being contested in this phase, eight are reserved for Scheduled Tribes and three for Scheduled Castes. The results of this election will play a crucial role in shaping Jharkhand's political landscape for the coming years.