Jharkhand to vote in two phases on Nov 13 and 20, counting on Nov 23

Ranchi, Oct 15 (IANS) The Election Commission has announced that voting for all 81 Assembly seats in Jharkhand will take place in two phases on November 13 and 20. The counting of votes is scheduled for November 23.  

With the announcement of the election dates, the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect in the state.

Of the 81 seats in Jharkhand, nine are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 28 for Scheduled Tribes. In the first phase, elections will be held on 43 seats, while the remaining 38 will vote in the second phase.

Phase 1 of the voting will cover 43 seats. The date of notification is set for October 18, and the last date for filing nominations is October 25. The scrutiny of nominations will take place on October 28, and the final date for the withdrawal of candidatures is October 30.

The constituencies voting in the first phase include: Koderma, Barkatha, Barhi, Barkagaon, Hazaribagh, Simaria, Chatra, Baharagora, Ghatshila, Potka, Jugsalai, Jamshedpur East, Jamshedpur West, Ichagarh, Saraikela, Chaibasa, Majhgaon, Jagannathpur, Manoharpur, Chakradharpur, Kharsawan, Tamar, Torpa, Khunti, Ranchi, Hatia, Kanke, Mandar, Sisai, Gumla, Bishunpur, Simdega, Kolebira, Lohardaga, Manika, Latehar, Panki, Daltonganj, Vishrampur, Chhatarpur, Hussainabad, Garhwa, and Bhawanathpur.

Phase 2 of the voting will cover 38 seats. The date of notification is October 22, with the last date for filing nominations set for October 29. The scrutiny of nominations will be conducted on October 30, and the final date for the withdrawal of candidatures is November 1.

The constituencies voting in the second phase include Rajmahal, Borio, Barhet, Littipara, Pakur, Maheshpur, Shikaripara, Nala, Jamtara, Dumka, Jama, Jarmundi, Madhupur, Sarath, Deoghar, Poraiyahat, Godda, Mahagama, Ramgarh, Mandu, Dhanwar, Bagodar, Jamua, Gandey, Giridih, Dumri, Gomia, Bermo, Bokaro, Chandankiyari, Sindri, Nirsa, Dhanbad, Jharia, Tundi, Baghmara, Silli, and Khijri.

The total number of voters is 2.6 crore, with 29,562 polling stations, of which 5,042 are in urban areas. On average, there are 881 voters per booth.

In the 2019 Assembly elections, voting took place in five phases. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress, and RJD alliance won 47 out of the 81 seats, forming the government, while the BJP secured 25 seats and the AJSU Party won two.