Jharkhand Bypolls: 67.81% voter turnout recorded in Phase 2

Polling for the final phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections began 7 am today, covering 38 of the state’s 81 constituencies. A total of 1.23 crore voters, including 60.79 lakh women and 147 third-gender individuals, will decide the fate of 528 candidates. Key figures in the fray include Chief Minister Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren (both JMM), Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri (BJP), and former CM Babulal Marandi. Voting is taking place across 14,218 polling booths, with timings extending until 5 pm in most locations and 4 pm at select booths.

The elections see a contest between the JMM-led coalition and the BJP-led NDA. The ruling bloc has fielded 43 JMM candidates, 30 from Congress, 6 from RJD, and 4 from CPI(ML), while BJP contests 68 seats, with allies AJSU Party fielding 10, JD(U) 2, and Lok Janshakti (Ram Vilas) 1. Out of the 38 seats, eight are reserved for Scheduled Tribes and three for Scheduled Castes, with 18 constituencies in the Santhal Pargana region being a key battleground.

Polling arrangements are in place, with 239 booths exclusively manned by women and 22 by persons with disabilities. Since the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct, Rs 200 crore worth of illegal materials and cash have been seized.

LIVE UPDATES

• 7:46 pm: 67.81% voter turnout recorded in Jharkhand Phase -2. Jamtara sees the highest voting with a 77.29% turnout while Bokaro is at the bottom with 60.97% polling.

• 5:32 pm: 67.59% voter turnout recorded till 5:00 pm in Jharkhand. Jamtara sees the highest voting with a 76.16% turnout while Bokaro is at the bottom with 60.97% polling.

• 3:46 pm: AJSU leader and MLA Sudesh Mahto, along with his family, cast their votes at a polling booth in Lagam village during the ongoing assembly elections.

• 3:38 pm: 61.47% voter turnout recorded till 3:00 pm in Jharkhand. Pakur sees the highest voting with a 69.31% turnout while Dhanbad is at the bottom with 56.32% polling.

• 3:17 pm: Kalpana Soren, wife of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and JMM candidate from Gandey Assembly, expressed confidence in the Mahagathbandhan's victory, stating that the people of Jharkhand will support Hemant Soren and the alliance.

• 2:58 pm: 106-year-old woman casts her vote in Jharkhand

• 1:41 pm: 47.92% voter turnout recorded till 1:00 pm in Jharkhand. Pakur sees the highest voting with a 53.83% turnout while Bokaro is at the bottom with 42.52% polling.

• 12:17 pm: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged voters in Jharkhand and Maharashtra to “save the Constitution” and support the INDIA bloc. On social media, he appealed to Jharkhand voters, stating, "Your every vote for INDIA will protect your water, forest and land and will make your life prosperous with 7 guarantees like the Maiya Samman Yojana."

• 11:57 am: Kalpana Soren, wife of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and JMM candidate for Gandey Assembly, expressed concerns about the slow polling process. She said, "We have come to a polling station where we noticed that the polling process is going too slow. We have requested them to speed up or else it will create problems. People have gathered here since morning, they want to cast their votes smoothly...

• 11:36 am: 31.37% voter turnout recorded till 11:00 am in Jharkhand. Pakur sees the highest voting with a 35.15% turnout while Bokaro is at the bottom with 27.72% polling.

• 10:21 am:  Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi urged Jharkhand voters to vote for their future in a social media post. She wrote, "Vote in maximum numbers for yourself, for the strong future of your children, for the protection of water, forest and land, for democracy, constitution and social justice, and for the better future of Jharkhand. Use your power given by the Constitution to elect a government that works only for you and takes you forward.

• 9:41 am: 12.71% voter turnout recorded till 9:00 am in Jharkhand. Pakur sees the highest voting with a 16.12% turnout while Bokaro is at the bottom with 12.48% polling.

• 7:58 am: Acharya Pramod Krishnam urged voters in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh to vote in the Assembly elections and by-elections. He said, "I appeal to the voters of Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh to come out of their house and cast votes for the bright future of the country, identity of the country.

• 7:52 am: Jharkhand BJP President Babulal Marandi cast his vote in Giridih and urged everyone to vote. He said, "This is a festival of democracy and we get this opportunity to vote for the development of the state once in 5 years." Addressing key issues, he added, "The main issues are infiltration, unemployment. CM Soren has betrayed the youth. We have appealed to the youth to support the NDA this time.

• 7:48 am: Raj Sinha, BJP candidate from Dhanbad, expressed confidence in his party’s victory in the Jharkhand Assembly elections. Commenting on voter turnout, he said, "Seeing the huge number of voters, it is clear that BJP is going to form its government." Defending the party’s focus on infiltration, he stated, "We raised the issue of Bangladesh (infiltrators) because it is the truth, and the people need to know its consequences.

• 7:41 am: As Jharkhand votes in the second phase of Assembly elections, JMM MP Nalin Soren cast his vote early, continuing his tradition. Confident in his government’s re-election, he said, "People would vote on the issue of development... My government would remain in power.

• 7:15 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Jharkhand's citizens to participate enthusiastically in the second and final phase of the Assembly elections today, November 20. Highlighting the importance of every vote, he encouraged voters to set a new turnout record. Addressing first-time voters, he called their participation the "strength of the state" in a post on X.