70.54 per cent polling in 3 LS seats of Jharkhand

An estimated 70.54 per cent of the over 45.64 lakh electorate exercised their franchise in three Lok Sabha constituencies in the fourth and final phase of polling in Jharkhand on Sunday.

Of the three constituencies, Rajmahal recorded the highest turnout at 71.69 per cent, followed by Dumka at 71.10 per cent and Godda at 69.11 per cent, an Election Commission official said, updating the figure at the end of polling.

Polling was peaceful with no untoward incidents reported from the three Lok Sabha seats.

Former Chief Minister Shibu Soren was in the fray from Dumka seat.

Soren, the chief of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and a 8th term sitting MP was pitted against BJP's Sunil Soren. The JMM leader had defeated his BJP challenger twice in 2009 and 2014.

JMM's sitting MP, Vijay Kumar Hansda, contested against BJP's Hemlal Murmu from Rajmahal seat. Hansda had defeated Murmu in 2014.

Sitting BJP MP Nishikant Dubey was pitted against JVM MLA Pradip Yadav from Godda seat.

Of the 42 contestants, 15 candidates were in the fray from Dumka, 14 contestants from Rajmahal and 13 from Godda.

Inspector General of Police (Operation) Ashish Batra said that 37,398 security personnel were deployed across the three constituencies as part of security arrangements.