Jharkhand assembly election: INDIA vs NDA as phase 1 polling today | 10 points
Jharkhand assembly election: The second phase will be conducted on November 20 for the remaining 38 constituencies and votes will be counted on November 23.
The first phase of the Jharkhand assembly election 2024 began on Wednesday, November 13, across 43 constituencies in 15 districts. The polling began at 7am and conclude at 5pm. The second phase is scheduled for November 20, covering the remaining 38 constituencies. Votes will be counted on November 23, as the current assembly’s term ends January 5, 2025.
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Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been at loggerheads during their campaigns over issues such as tribal rights, immigrants in the state, and corruption.
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The Bharatiya Janata Party is contesting on 68 seats, while its alliance partner All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) in 10 seats, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) in 2 seats and the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is contesting from 1 seat.
In the INDIA bloc, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is contesting on 41 seats, Congress on 30, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) 6 and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) 4 seats.
Jharkhand assembly election: 10 updates on Phase 1 polling
1. A total of 1.37 crore voters out of the 2.60 crore are eligible to participate in the voting in Jharkhand.
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2. As many as 683 candidates are contesting for 81 seats. Out of the 683, 609 are men, 73 are women, and one is a third-gender person.
3. A total of 15,344 polling stations have been set up for the first phase of elections. Of those, 12,716 are located in rural areas and 2,628 in urban areas. Women will be manning the booths, and in 24 stations, disabled people will be in charge of 24 booths.
4. Out of the 43 constituencies, 17 are reserved for the general category, while 20 of them are for Scheduled Tribes and six for Scheduled Castes.
5. The contest was close in the 2019 assembly election, with the JMM winning 30 seats and the BJP securing 25, down from 37 in 2014. The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance won a comfortable majority with 47 seats.
6. Chief electoral officer K Ravi Kumar revealed that since implementing the Model Code of Conduct in the elections, a total of ₹208.78 crore worth of illegal material and cash has been seized, and 58 cases have been registered as well.
7. The returning officer for the Ranchi assembly told PTI that all the necessary arrangements for the polls had been made. "All basic facilities including drinking water, toilets, and web-casting facilities are available at all polling stations.
8. The Congress party has promised 250 units of free electricity, a caste-based census and the filling up of all vacant government posts within a year. They have also stated that if they win, they will repeal the former BJP government's Land Bank Policy and implement the Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act and the Santhal Parganas Act instead.
9. The JMM, led by chief minister Hemant Soren, has focused on setting up schools and nursing colleges, increasing the minimum wage for MNREGA workers, and reserving 33 per cent of state government jobs for women.
10. The BJP has said its focus is on getting rid of “infiltrators” from tribal areas. They have also stated that they will launch the UCC in Jharkhand without it affecting tribals, if elected. They promised five lakh jobs, as well as housing for all.