THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, February 23: The Medininagar Municipal Corporation election witnessed brisk voting at hypersensitive polling stations and unusual scenes caused by electoral roll reshuffling during the ongoing Jharkhand civic body elections 2026.
Record Turnout at Hypersensitive Polling Stations
Two hypersensitive polling stations located in a government building at Bahlolwa emerged as the highlight of polling day in the Daltonganj municipal polls. Voting began peacefully at 7 am, and by around 12.15 pm, the Bahlolwa booths had recorded nearly 50 per cent voter turnout — significantly higher than many of the other polling stations within the Medininagar Municipal Corporation limits, where turnout ranged between 25 and 27 per cent during the same period.
There are 132 polling stations in the Medininagar Municipal Corporation area.
Despite being categorised as hypersensitive booths in the Palamu district civic elections, the Bahlolwa polling stations saw disciplined queues and enthusiastic participation from both women and men. The steady footfall reflected strong public engagement in the local body elections in Jharkhand.
DIG of Police (Palamu Range) Kishore Kaushal, Deputy Commissioner Sameera S and Superintendent of Police Reeshma Ramesan visited the booths to review security arrangements during the municipal election. Webcasting facilities were operational at the Bahlolwa polling stations as part of enhanced election monitoring measures.
District Election Officer (Municipality) Sameera S said, “We are monitoring these booths live on laptops.”
Webcasting has been arranged at 40 polling stations across five civic bodies, with 70 cameras deployed to ensure transparency in the urban local body polls.
Electoral Roll Division Creates Confusion
In contrast to the orderly voting at hypersensitive booths, two polling stations in a government madrasa were disrupted by the reorganisation of the electoral roll.
A couple who had cast their votes were unable to locate their daughter’s name in the voter list available at the booth. In another case, a husband and wife found themselves assigned to separate polling booths in different wards due to the division of electoral rolls in the Medininagar civic election.
While the wife cast her vote, the husband had to walk nearly half a kilometre to reach his newly designated polling station.
Though administratively structured, the electoral roll bifurcation caused inconvenience to several voters participating in the municipal corporation election.
One voter remarked humorously, drawing a parallel with the Hindi film Baghban, “In the film, circumstances separated husband and wife. Here, the electoral roll has separated us on voting day. We will reunite after casting our votes.”
Missing Names Add to Voter Discontent
At another polling station near the Koyel river, close to the residence of late MP Jorawar Ram, a young woman expressed disappointment after discovering that her name was missing from the electoral roll.
“My husband will vote, but I cannot. My name is not in the voter list,” she said, unsure whether her name was registered at her parental address.
Tight Security and Peaceful Polling
Senior police officials maintained that adequate security arrangements were in place across polling stations in Palamu district. SP Reeshma Ramesan oversaw effective police bandobast, while DIG Kishore Kaushal reviewed arrangements at the Bahlolwa hypersensitive booths.
Despite being located on the periphery of the municipal corporation limits, the Bahlolwa polling stations recorded an impressive turnout, underscoring strong voter participation in the Jharkhand municipal elections.
Overall, the Medininagar civic body election began on a peaceful and positive note, marked by steady polling, enhanced security, webcasting surveillance and active voter participation.