India News | Campaign Ends for Lok Sabha Elections in Jharkhand

Ranchi, May 30 (PTI) Jharkhand's election frenzy wrapped up Thursday after two months of fierce campaigning by the political topguns eyeing the state's 14 Lok Sabha seats.

In the seventh phase of LS elections scheduled for June 1, marking the fourth round of polls in the state, a total of 52 candidates are contesting with 19 each from Dumka and Godda and 14 from Rajmahal seat.

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State's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar told reporters that the campaign period concluded at 5pm at all three parliamentary constituencies going to polls on June 1.

He said voting would be conducted in as many as 6,258 polling stations from 7am to 5pm.

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More than 53.23 lakh electors are eligible to exercise their franchise in the three constituencies in the state, Kumar said.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP secured Dumka and Godda seats while the JMM bagged the Rajmahal seat.

The top leaders of both NDA and INDIA bloc have left no stone unturned to galvanise people's support in favour of them in the final phase.

On May 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Dumka seeking votes for all three party candidates in Santhal Pargana region—Sita Soren from Dumka, Tala Marandi from Rajmahal and Nishikant Dubye from Godda.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh was scheduled to hold a rally in Sahibganj on May 27 but his chopper could not land due to bad weather. He, however, addressed the rally through his phone.

On May 29, BJP president JP Nadda, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohand Yadav campaigned for BJP candidates.

On the other hand, Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren, Kalpana Soren, wife of jailed former Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and top Congress state leaders campaigned extensively for the INDIA bloc candidates. On Thursday, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi addressed several rallies in Dumka and Sahibganj.

The BJP has fielded Sita Soren, sister-in-law of Hemant Soren, from Dumka seat, Tala Marandi from Rajmahal and Nishikant Dubey from Godda seat.

For the INDIA bloc, JMM has nominated its Shikaripara MLA Nalin Soren from Dumka and sitting MP Vijay Hansdak from Rajmahal seat. The Congress has fielded Pradeep Yadav from Godda Lok Sabha seat.

Polling in Jharkhand commenced on May 13 encompassing four Lok Sabha constituencies — Singhbhum, Khunti, Lohardaga, and Palamu. Among these constituencies, three were reserved for Scheduled Tribes, while the Palamu seat was designated for the Scheduled Caste. In all, 45 candidates took part in this phase that saw a 66.01 per cent voter turnout.

The second round of polling, corresponding to the fifth phase nationwide, took place on May 20 for three Lok Sabha seats— Chatra, Koderma, and Hazaribag. The phase saw 54 candidates in the fray with a recorded voter turnout of 64.39 per cent.

On May 25, voting for Jharkhand's third phase took place, featuring 93 candidates contesting across four Lok Sabha seats— Giridih, Dhanbad, Ranchi, and Jamshedpur. The voter turnout for this phase stood at 67.68 per cent.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)