Ranchi. The first phase of assembly elections in Jharkhand was conducted peacefully. In the first phase, voting was held on 43 assembly seats in 15 districts on Wednesday, November 13. By the time polling ended at 5 pm, 65 percent voters had cast their votes. This voting figure may change as people were standing in queues at many polling stations even after 5 o’clock. In the 2019 elections, out of 43 seats in the first phase, the JMM, Congress and RJD alliance won 28 and the BJP 13. One seat was won by an independent and one seat was won by JVM. Now MLA Saryu Rai, who won as an independent, is in NDA and Bandhu Tirkey, who won from JVM, is in Congress.
However, in the first phase, the highest 77.32 percent voting took place in Kharsanwa seat. After this, 76.15 percent votes were cast in Baharagora. The lowest turnout was 51.50 percent in the capital Ranchi. Earlier, polling began at 7 in the morning amid tight security and ended at 5 in the evening. Apart from sporadic incidents of violence and clashes in some areas, the election was generally peaceful. While the ruling JMM in the state complained of rigging at many places, the BJP also complained about the JMM government to the Election Commission. Voting for the remaining 38 seats of the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly will be held on November 20 and the results will be declared on November 23.
In the 43 seats of the first phase, the fate of one former Chief Minister and family members of three-four former Chief Ministers has been sealed in EVMs. Voting was held on Wednesday at Seraikela, the seat of former Chief Minister Champai Soren. Voting was also held in the Ghatshila seat of his son Ramdas Soren. Apart from this, the fate of former Chief Minister Arjun Munda’s wife Meera Munda, Madhu Koda’s wife Geeta Koda and Raghubar Das’s daughter-in-law Purnima Das Sahu has also been sealed in EVMs. All these people are BJP candidates. Voters have also decided the fate of Congress legislature party leader Rameshwar Oraon, state government minister Mithilesh Thakur and JMM’s Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Manjhi.
However, Gumla Police Observer Kishan Sahay Meena has been suspended by the Election Commission for missing without explanation during voting. A special feature of this year’s elections was that this time a polling booth was built for the first time after independence in Arhanga of Tamar in Ranchi district. People voted there for the first time. Meanwhile, BJP has complained to the Election Commission about sending the money of Maanya Samman Yojana to the accounts of women a night before voting. The party has asked, on whose orders the amount given under the Mainya Samman Yojana was given a day before the elections? BJP told the Election Commission that the money of Maanya Samman Yojana used to be deposited in the account on 6th or 7th of every month, but this time it was sent just a night before the elections, which is not correct.