2024 LS polls: Nearly 42% voter turnout in Jharkhand till 1 pm

Ranchi: Nearly 42 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm in three Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand on Monday, election officials said.

Voting commenced at 7 am in Chatra, Hazaribag, and Koderma constituencies as part of the second phase of elections in the eastern state and will continue until 5 pm.

Till 1 pm, Chatra recorded a voter turnout of 42.76 per cent, Hazaribag (40.16), and Koderma (42.73 per cent). The overall turnout was 41.89 per cent, officials said.

This phase involves 22 candidates in Chatra, 15 in Koderma, and 17 in Hazaribag.

In Hazaribag, villagers boycotted polling at booths 183 and 184 in Kusumba village under Katkamdag due to unmet demands for a flyover.

About 58.34 lakh voters, including 28.35 lakh women, are eligible to vote in these constituencies.

Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said this phase covers seven districts and three parliamentary constituencies.

Kumar mentioned that there are 6,705 booths, including 6,130 in rural areas. Among these, 73 are managed by women, 13 by persons with disabilities, and 13 by youths.

Chatra constituency has 16.89 lakh voters, including 8.27 lakh women, with 1,899 booths. Koderma has 22.05 lakh voters, including 10.65 lakh women, with 2,552 booths. Hazaribag has 19.39 lakh voters, including 9.42 lakh women, and 2,254 booths.

The BJP has fielded Manish Jaiswal from Hazaribag and Kalicharan Singh from Chatra. The Congress has nominated KN Tripathi from Chatra and Jai Prakash Bhai Patel from Hazaribag. CPI (ML) Liberation has given a ticket to Bagodar MLA Vinod Kumar Singh from Koderma.

BJP Koderma nominee Annapurna Devi promised to focus on employment generation and educational improvements after winning the polls.

Former Jharkhand chief minister and BJP state president Babulal Marandi urged voters to participate in the democratic process, predicting that the NDA would win all 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state, along with the Gandey assembly by-election.

BJP candidate from Chatra, Kalicharan Singh, also expressed confidence in winning the seat.