As Jharkhand prepares for the first phase of Assembly elections on Wednesday, tribal women in Ranchi gathered at the Morabadi Football Ground to perform traditional well-wishing rituals for polling officials before their deployment. The initial phase will see polling across 43 constituencies, with the second phase scheduled for November 20 in the remaining 38 constituencies. Officials will count the votes on November 23.
Voting Schedule and Security Arrangements
Polling will run from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on November 13. However, in 950 specific booths, voting will close at 4 p.m., with the provision that anyone in line by then can still cast their vote. To ensure a safe voting process, over 200 companies of security forces have been deployed strategically across 15,344 polling stations throughout the state. This phase will see 683 candidates, including 73 women, vying for seats across these constituencies, which include 17 general seats, 20 reserved for Scheduled Tribes, and six for Scheduled Castes.
Background and Current Government
In the last assembly election, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) secured 30 seats, the BJP won 25, and Congress claimed 16. Following that election, a coalition of JMM, Congress, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal formed the government, with Hemant Soren as chief minister. The current Assembly’s term ends on January 5, 2025.
List of Key Constituencies Voting in Phase 1
The first phase includes key constituencies such as:
1. Kodarma
2. Barkatha
3. Barhi
4. Barkagaon
5. Hazaribagh
6. Simaria (SC)
7. Chatra (SC)
8. Baharagora
9. Ghatsila (ST)
10. Potka (ST)
11. Jugsalai (SC)
12. Jamshedpur East
13. Jamshedpur West
14. Ichagarh
15. Seraikella (ST)
16. Chaibasa (ST)
17. Majhgaon (ST)
18. Jaganathpur (ST)
19. Manoharpur (ST)
20. Chakradharpur (ST)
21. Kharsawan (ST)
22. Tamar (ST)
23. Torpa (ST)
24. Khunti (ST)
25. Ranchi
26. Hatia
27. Kanke (SC)
28. Mandar (ST)
29. Sisai (ST)
30. Gumla (ST)
31. Bishunpur (ST)
32. Simdega (ST)
33. Kolebira (ST)
34. Lohardaga (ST)
35. Manika (ST)
36. Latehar (SC)
37. Panki
38. Daltonganj
39. Bishrampur
40. Chhatarpur (SC)
41. Hussainabad
42. Garhwa
43. Bhawanathpur
High-Stakes Contests in Phase 1
Several high-stakes battles are underway in this initial voting phase. Former Chief Minister Champai Soren, now a BJP candidate, seeks to retain his Seraikella seat against JMM’s Ganesh Mahli. In Jamshedpur East, Congress’s Ajoy Kumar faces off against Purnima Das Sahu, daughter-in-law of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das. In Jamshedpur West, state health minister Banna Gupta of Congress squares off against JD(U) leader Saryu Roy, who famously defeated Raghubar Das in 2019.
In Jagannathpur, BJP candidate Geeta Koda, wife of former Chief Minister Madhu Koda, faces Congress’s Sona Ram Sinku. Meanwhile, JMM has fielded Mahua Maji, a Rajya Sabha MP, to challenge BJP’s CP Singh for the Ranchi seat.
As Jharkhand’s voters cast their ballots in the first phase, the election sets the stage for intense political competition and significant outcomes for the state’s leadership.
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