Pakur recorded the highest voter turnout of 35.15%, followed by 34.75% in Ranchi, 33.78% in Jamtara and 33.45% in Ramgarh district. Godda recorded a turnout of 33.39%, Dumka 33.05%, Deoghar 32.84%, Giridih 31.56%, Hazaribag 31.04%, Sahebganj 30.90% and Dhanbad 28.02%. Bokaro reported the lowest turnout at 27.72%.
Polling began at 7 am across 14,218 booths in 12 districts and will continue until 5 pm, except for 31 booths where voting will end at 4 pm. Voters standing in queues at that time will still be allowed to cast their votes.
The JMM-led INDIA bloc is aiming to retain power on the strength of its welfare initiatives, while the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is striving to regain control.
Around 1.23 crore voters, including 60.79 lakh women and 147 third-gender electors, are eligible to vote in this phase, according to officials. A total of 528 candidates, including Chief Minister Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren, and BJP Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri, are contesting.
The 38 constituencies include 18 in the Santhal Pargana region, which spans Godda, Deoghar, Dumka, Jamtara, Sahibganj, and Pakur districts. The remaining seats are in the North and South Chotanagpur divisions.
Special polling arrangements include 239 women-managed booths and 22 manned by persons with disabilities (PwDs), Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said.
The first phase of polling was conducted on November 13, with the vote count scheduled for November 23.
First Published: Nov 20, 2024 10:40 AM IST
