THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi/Deoghar, February 23: The ongoing municipal elections in Jharkhand witnessed steady voter participation across urban local bodies on polling day, with several districts reporting strong turnout figures by 5 pm.
Simdega Municipal Council recorded the highest turnout at 67.83%, followed by Ramgarh Municipal Council at 65.63%. Chaibasa Municipal Council registered 61.05%, while Chakradharpur Municipal Council reported 57.95% polling.
Palamu Municipal Corporation recorded 57.41% turnout, whereas Hazaribagh Municipal Corporation saw 49.93% voter participation by the same time.
In Ranchi, Chief Minister Hemant Soren cast his vote alongside his wife and Gandey MLA Kalpana Soren at a polling station in Harmu. The couple stood in line with other voters before exercising their franchise. After voting, the Chief Minister appealed to citizens, particularly young people and women, to participate actively in the democratic process, stressing that every vote is valuable.
Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar also cast his vote in Ranchi and described voting as a fundamental pillar of democracy. He urged citizens to vote impartially and choose representatives committed to inclusive development.
Meanwhile, polling in Deoghar remained peaceful. Godda MP Nishikant Dubey cast his vote along with his wife Anamika Gautam at a polling station located within the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department premises. Dubey expressed confidence in the victory of candidates he supports and noted that ballot paper voting had slightly slowed the process.
A total of 1.79 lakh voters are expected to cast their ballots across 36 wards of Deoghar Municipal Corporation, while 44,258 voters are registered in Madhupur Municipal Council.