Ranchi, Nov 20 (IANS): Voting for the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly has ended. In the second and final phase held on Wednesday, so far, according to Election Commission data, 67.59 per cent of voters cast their ballots across 38 seats. This is a provisional figure recorded till 5 p.m. and the final count may increase slightly.
In the first phase, held on November 13 across 43 seats, voter turnout was recorded at 66.65 per cent.
The highest turnout in the final phase of elections was recorded in the Maheshpur constituency in Santhal Pargana at 79.40 per cent. Other high-turnout constituencies included Nala (78.75 per cent), Sarath (77.94 per cent), Silli (76.70 per cent), and Shikaripara (74.31 per cent).
Bokaro Urban (50.52 per cent) and Dhanbad (52.31 per cent) recorded the lowest turnout.
This was the first peaceful Assembly election in Jharkhand since its formation as a separate state in 2000, with high participation even in Maoist-affected areas.
Women voters showed remarkable enthusiasm, outnumbering men in 37 out of 43 seats in the first phase and this trend continued also in the second phase. Seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes saw higher turnout than general seats.
A polling station in Hansipahari Snehpur under the Jamtara constituency recorded a 100 per cent turnout. All 57 registered voters, belonging to a leprosy-affected community, cast their votes here.
The fate of 1,211 candidates is now sealed in the EVMs. Prominent candidates include Chief Minister Hemant Soren from Barhait, former Chief Minister Champai Soren from Saraikela, BJP state president Babulal Marandi from Rajdhanwar, and Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri from Chandankiyari.
Others include Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato from Nala, AJSU Party Chief Sudesh Mahato from Silli, and several family members of political leaders, including Hemant Soren's brother Basant Soren and sister-in-law Sita Soren.
Two polling officers were penalised for misconduct. In Deoghar, a presiding officer was removed for being near the voting compartment, while in Madhupur, another officer was detained for allegedly influencing votes in favour of the JMM candidate.
A total of over 2.26 crore voters participated in the two-phase election, marking a milestone for peaceful and participatory democratic processes in Jharkhand.
Now all eyes are on November 23 when votes will be counted.