Jharkhand: 54.34% voter turnout in 4 Lok Sabha seats till 3 pm

Ranchi: A voter turnout of 54.34 per cent was recorded till 3 pm in Jharkhand's four Lok Sabha constituencies that went to polls in the sixth phase of elections on Saturday, officials said.

Voting began at 7 am in Giridih, Dhanbad, Ranchi and Jamshedpur seats, and will continue till 5 pm.

Giridih registered the highest polling at 57.11 per cent, followed by Jamshedpur (56.14 per cent), Ranchi (54.25 per cent) and Dhanbad (50.69 per cent).

"Today, I exercised my right to vote at Shri Krishna Institute of Public Administration, Ranchi. I urge all voters to exercise their right to vote. Ensure your participation in this great festival of democracy," Governor C P Radhakrishnan said in a post on X.

Former India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni cast his vote at a booth in JVM Shyamli School in Ranchi.

Dhoni, accompanied by his wife Sakshi, his father Pan Singh and mother Devaki Devi, reached JVM Shyamli, where he did his schooling, around noon.

Kalpana Soren, wife of jailed former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren posted on X, "Today, I exercised my right to vote by participating in this great festival of elections for the massive victory of justice over injustice. An appeal to all of you is to reach your polling booth in large numbers and exercise your right to vote to protect democracy and the Constitution. If Hemant is there then there is courage! Jharkhand will not bow down! INDIA will not stop!" Twenty-seven candidates are in the fray from Ranchi, 25 each from Dhanbad and Jamshedpur, and 16 from Giridih.

Around 82.16 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in these four constituencies, with Dhanbad having the highest number of electors at 22.85 lakh, and Giridih having the lowest at 18.64 lakh.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar said all 8,963 booths were being closely monitored. Of these, 186 are being managed by women and 22 by the youth.

Additionally, there are 15 unique booths, showcasing the specialties of the respective areas.

About 36,000 poll personnel have been deployed in this phase, Kumar said.

In the Ranchi Lok Sabha seat, Congress' Yashaswini Sahay, daughter of former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay, is contesting against BJP MP Sanjay Seth.

Dhanbad is witnessing a fight between BJP's Baghmara MLA Dulu Mahato and Congress' Anupama Singh, the wife of the party's Bermo legislator Kumar Jaimangal.

In Jamshedpur, BJP MP Bidyut Baran Mahato has been pitted against JMM's Baharagora MLA Samir Mohanty.

In Giridih, AJSU Party's Chandra Prakash Chaudhary is up against JMM's Tundi MLA Mathura Mahato. A student leader, Jairam Mahato, has added a twist to the contest by challenging candidates of both the INDIA bloc and the NDA.