India News | Voter Turnout in Jharkhand Panchayat Polls Dips

Ranchi, May 27 (PTI) Altogether 68.99 per cent of the 58.16 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the final of the four-phase panchayat elections in Jharkhand on Friday, an official said.

The average voting percentage of all the phases was 69.64 per cent, as against 73.29 per cent in the 2015 elections, the official said.

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In the final phase, a total of 1,299 gram panchayats went to the polls across 23 districts to elect 8,491 panchayat members, 1,293 mukhiyas, 1,449 panchayat samiti members and 158 Zilla Parishad members.

Deoghar district has recorded the highest voter turnout at 79.55 per cent, while East Singhbhum recorded the lowest at 59.06 per cent, according to the state election commission (SEC).

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"The elections in all 1,299 panchayats passed off peacefully. A total of 68.99 per cent polling was recorded in the final phase," said SEC secretary Radhe Shyam Prasad.

Panchayat elections in Jharkhand are not contested on party symbols.

Long queues of voters were seen in many booths in the early hours. Defying poll boycott calls by Naxals, people turned in large numbers in the Left-Wing Extremism-hit districts of the state, an official said.

Polling started at 7 am and concluded at 3 pm.

The counting of votes for the third and final phase will take place on May 31, while the counting for the first and second phases have been completed.

The earlier phases were held on May 14, 19 and 24.

(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)