Nearly 65% turnout recorded in first phase of Jharkhand Assembly polls

A voter turnout of 64.95 per cent was recorded until 7 pm in 43 of the 81 assembly constituencies in Jharkhand where polling was held in the first phase on Wednesday.

 

The Election Commission (EC) said the voter turnout was “impressive” as it had already surpassed the 63.9 per cent turnout recorded in these 43 seats during the 2019 Assembly polls.

 

Polling also took place in 31 Assembly bypolls across the country, including seven seats in Rajasthan, five in Assam, and four in Bihar.

 

The voter turnout for the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll, where Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is a candidate, was nearly 61 per cent.

 

This is significantly lower than the 73.57 per cent recorded in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and over 80 per cent in 2019. Wayanad elected Congress’s Rahul Gandhi in 2019 and 2024.

 

After the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Rahul vacated the seat as he was also elected from Rae Bareli.

 

In Jharkhand, the average voter turnout for all 81 seats in 2019 was 65.18 per cent.

 

A highlight was the turnout of women voters at 66.92 per cent, which was three percentage points higher than that of men at 63.58 per cent.

 

The EC usually releases disaggregated data on the voter turnout of women and men a day or two after polling.

 

The voter turnout of women is crucial for the two principal opponents, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

 

In the lead-up to the polls, the ruling JMM-Congress government introduced the Maiyan Samman Yojna, providing a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 to women.

 

The NDA has also promised a monthly allowance for women if it forms the government in the state. On Wednesday, Jharkhand BJP lodged a complaint with the EC against the Hemant Soren-led government for allegedly transferring money into the accounts of women beneficiaries under the Maiyan Samman Yojna on the night before polling.

 

The voter turnout exceeded 2019 levels in most seats in Jharkhand. In Saraikela, where former Chief Minister Champai Soren is the BJP candidate, the voter turnout was 72.19 per cent, up from 68.1 per cent in 2019. In Ranchi, voters defied concerns about urban apathy, recording a turnout of 60.49 per cent, up from 49.06 per cent in 2019.

 

Of the 43 seats that polled on Wednesday, 17 are general, 20 Scheduled Tribe (ST), and 6 Scheduled Caste (SC) constituencies. In 2019, of the total 28 seats reserved for STs in the state, the BJP managed to win only two, making the first phase crucial for the party's prospects.  THE NUMBERS GAME 

- 64.95% voter turnout on 43 seats in Phase 1 in Jharkhand (updated until 7pm)  - 63.9%  turnout on these 43 seats in 2019, less than this time

- 61% turnout for Wayanad LS bypoll, down from 73.57% in 2024 LS polls, and 80.37% in 2019 LS polls

  Source:Election Commission of India