Jharkhand: Estimated 63.77 Per Cent of 45.26 Lakh Voters Cast Their Votes

Polling began at 7 am and ended at 4 pm, but as per EC instructions, voters who entered polling stations before the scheduled time would be allowed to vote.

An estimated 63.77 per cent of the 45.26 lakh electorate cast their votes on Monday in three Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand, which passed off peacefully, an official said. Lohardaga (ST), Palamu (SC) and Chatra constituencies are among the state’s 14 Lok Sabha constituencies, which went to polls on Monday.

Prominent among those in the fray are Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs and BJP’s Lohardaga candidate Sudarshan Bhagat, who is pitted against Congress MLA and Mahagathbandhan’ candidate Sukhdeo Bhagat

“An estimated 63.77 per cent polling was recorded by 5 pm and it will increase,” Chief Electoral Officer L Khiangte said at a press conference in Ranchi after the end of the polling.

The polling began at 7 am and ended at 4 pm. As per the instruction of the Election Commission, voters, who entered polling stations before the scheduled time would be allowed to vote. The voting passed off peacefully, the CEO said.

An FIR was lodged against a polling personnel at a booth in Hussainabad in Palamu constituency when it was found during webcasting about his inconsistent behaviour. The officer concerned was immediately replaced by another polling personnel from the reserve, he said.

The CEO said some EVMs were immediately replaced after malfunctioning was reported.

Inspector General of Police (Operation) Ashish Batra said that not a single disruption of polling was reported during the elections for the three constituencies as 40,000 para-military forces and other state police forces were deployed to oversee peaceful polling.

Braving the summer heat, family members of a 94-year- old man took him in a cot to cast his vote at Loharsi in Chatra Lok Sabha constituency.

There was no incident of violence anywhere in the three Lok Sabha constituencies during the day, the police said.

Ranchi Sadar Sub-divisional officer Garima Singh honoured a woman, who turned up as the first voter in a booth in Lohardaga constituency, presenting her with a citation, poll officials said.

The voters exercised their franchise in 6,072 polling stations and 25,727 polling personnel conducted the polling, they said.