Jharkhand records 11.68% voter turnout till 9 am

Ranchi: Nearly 11.68 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 9 am in three Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand on Monday, elections officials said here.

Voting started at 7 am in Chatra, Hazaribag and Koderma Lok Sabha seats, marking the second phase of elections in the eastern state, and will continue till 5 pm.

Chatra seat saw about 11.43 per cent voter turnout till 9 am while the same was at 12.04 per cent and 11.56 per cent in Hazaribag and Koderma seats respectively.

In this phase, 22 candidates are contesting from Chatra, 15 from Koderma, and 17 from Hazaribag.

Approximately 58.34 lakh voters, including 28.35 lakh women, are eligible to exercise their franchise in these three constituencies.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar said this phase covers seven districts across three parliamentary constituencies, with polling materials and parties dispatched to 65 interior booths via choppers.

Kumar noted that there are a total of 6,705 booths, including 6,130 in rural areas, with 73 booths managed by women, 13 by persons with disabilities, and 13 by youths.

In the Chatra parliamentary constituency, there are 16.89 lakh voters, including 8.27 lakh female electors, with 1,899 booths. Koderma has 22.05 lakh electors, including 10.65 lakh women, with 2,552 booths, while Hazaribagh constituency has 19.39 lakh voters, including 9.42 lakh women, and 2,254 booths.