Jharkhand Assembly Election: As the first phase of the Jharkhand Assembly elections concluded successfully on Wednesday, a voter turnout of 66.16 per cent was recorded across 43 constituencies, according to data from the Election Commission. The voter turnout surpassed the 63.9% voting recorded in these 43 constituencies in the 2019 Assembly elections.
Lohardaga district topped the list with the highest voter turnout at 73.21 percent, followed by Seraikella-Kharsawan at 72.19 percent, and Gumla at 69.01 percent. The lowest voter turnout percentage was recorded in Kodarma at 62.15 percent.
Here's a list of all the districts and the respective voter turnout percentage:
| District | Turnout |
| Chatra | 64.00% |
| East Singhbhum | 67.10% |
| Garhwa | 68.42% |
| Gumla | 69.01% |
| Hazaribagh | 62.78% |
| Khunti | 68.36% |
| Kodarma | 62.15% |
| Latehar | 67.16% |
| Lohardaga | 73.21% |
| Palamu | 62.97% |
| Ramgarh | 66.32% |
| Ranchi | 62.56% |
| Saraikella-Kharsawan | 75.68% |
| Simdega | 68.66% |
| West Singhbhum | 66.87% |
In this phase, 20 seats were reserved for Scheduled Tribes, 6 for Scheduled Castes, and 17 were general seats. Voting began at 7 AM across 15,344 polling stations, with polling concluding at 4 PM in 950 polling stations located in highly sensitive areas given the security concerns.
.A total of 1.37 crore voters were eligible to participate in the first phase of voting. The Election Commission had set up 15,344 polling stations, with 1,152 managed entirely by women and 24 booths specifically manned by specially abled people, to facilitate the voting process.
Former CM Champai Soren and ex-MP Geeta Kora were among the 683 candidates in fray in the first phase. Other notable figures included Champai Soren's son Babulal Soren, six ministers of the Jharkhand government, former Chief Minister Arjun Munda’s wife Meera Munda, and other prominent leaders including former Assembly Speaker C.P. Singh, and former Minister Saryu Rai.
Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar cast his vote at the ATI polling booth in Ranchi. Other prominent personalities who cast their votes in the first phase were CM Hemant Soren, Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, former CM Champai Soren, state Health Minister Banna Gupta, JD(U) candidate from Jamshedpur West seat, Saryu Roy, and former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni.
Meanwhile, top BJP leaders, including PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda addressed several rallies in the state, hitting out at the JMM-led coalition over alleged corruption and infiltration.
Peaceful Voting In Maoist Strongholds Despite Threats
For the first time, a polling station was set up in the Budha Pahad area in Garhwa district, allowing residents to vote in their own village. This area is considered a stronghold of extremists, but despite this there were long queues and peaceful polling in the segment.
Similarly, voters chose to cast ballots in the Manoharpur and Jaganathpur Assembly constituency of West Singhbhum district, despite calls of boycott and threat calls by extremists. Security forces also thwarted attempts to prevent voters from voting in Manoharpur constituency's Rabangada polling station and in Sonapi in Jaganathpur constituency.
Voters of Lakhaidih village in Potka constituency in East Singhbhum district, having 100% tribal population, voted at a polling station set up in their own village for the first time. Earlier, they had to travel to nearby village, which is nearly 25 kms from the main road and 4 kms away through dense forest and hilly route, to cast votes.
Earlier today, PM Modi had urged voters to cast ballots in Jharkhand's first phase. "Today is the first round of voting in 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! Remember - first vote, then refreshment!," PM Modi wrote on X.
In the 2019 elections, the JMM secured 30 seats, the BJP won 25, and the JMM-led alliance with Congress and RJD won a majority with 47 seats.
The second phase of voting in Jharkhand will take place on November 20 with counting set for November 23.
Simultaneously, bye-polls were also held today in 31 Assembly Constituencies (ACs) in 10 states and in Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala. 2 ACs in Sikkim were uncontested.
Reports of violence surfaced in Bengal where bypoll was held across six Assembly constituencies. BJP candidate from Madarihat constituency in Alipurduar district, Rahul Lohar's vehicle was vandalised allegedly by local Trinamool Congress activists. He claimed that he had gone to a village to meet two of his party leaders, when a group of TMC activists surrounded his vehicle and started shouting "Go Back" slogans, IANS reported.
"Thereafter they pelted bricks towards my vehicle in which the rear window of the car was smashed," Lohar claimed.
Meanwhile, TMC’s state vice-president Jayprakash Majumdar complained to the ECI, accusing local BJP leaders and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel of intimidating the common voters at Binnaguri tea garden area under Madarihat constituency.