The first phase of polling for the Jharkhand assembly elections, as well as by-elections in various states, commenced on Wednesday morning. By 9 a.m., the voter turnout for Jharkhand's Phase 1 election had reached 13.03%, with Simdega leading at 15.09% while East Singhbhum reported the lowest at 11.25%.
In Jharkhand, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is challenging the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led coalition. Key candidates in this phase include former Chief Minister Champai Soren and Congress leader Ajoy Kumar.
Meanwhile, in Kerala, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is making her electoral debut in the Wayanad parliamentary bypoll, a seat previously held by her brother Rahul Gandhi. Rahul, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, campaigned for Priyanka in Wayanad, where she faces Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Satyan Mokeri and the BJP’s Navya Haridas.
The turnout percentages across key constituencies are as follows:
The voter turnout percentages for the Jharkhand assembly elections in Phase 1 varied across constituencies. Simdega recorded the highest turnout at 15.09%, followed by Lohardaga and Kodarma at 14.9% each. Seraikella-Kharsawan reached 14.62%, while Khunti had a turnout of 14.37%. Ramgarh saw 14.3% of voters participate, with Latehar close behind at 13.8%, and West Singhbhum at 13.80%. Other constituencies included Gumla at 13.9%, Garhwa at 13.41%, Hazaribagh at 13.2%, Chatra at 13.21%, and Ranchi at 12.06%. East Singhbhum and Palamu registered lower turnouts at 11.25% and 11.8%, respectively.
he polling for this phase is set to cover 43 seats and will continue until 5 p.m., with security heightened across 950 sensitive booths.
Key Candidates in the Spotlight
Several prominent candidates are contesting in the first phase. In Seraikella, BJP’s former Chief Minister Champai Soren is running, while in Jamshedpur East, Congress leader Ajoy Kumar faces competition from Purnima Das Sahu. Congress’s Banna Gupta is vying for Jamshedpur West against JD(U)’s Saryu Roy, who defeated former Chief Minister Raghubar Das in the last election. In Jaganathpur, BJP’s Geeta Koda, wife of former Chief Minister Madhu Koda, contests against Congress's Sona Ram Sinku. Additionally, JMM’s sitting Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji is running in Ranchi.
The second phase of the Jharkhand elections will take place on November 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23. In the previous elections, the JMM secured 30 seats, the BJP won 25, and Congress held 16 seats.
Over 200 security companies have been deployed to ensure safe and orderly voting across the state. A total of 683 candidates, including 73 women, are competing for seats in the first phase of Jharkhand’s elections.
In addition to Jharkhand, by-elections are being conducted in 33 assembly seats across 11 states, including key constituencies in Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Assam.
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