The assembly elections in Jharkhand will take place in two phases – on November 13 and November 20 – while vote counting is scheduled for November 23, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference, Kumar also said that polling in Maharashtra will be conducted in a single phase on November 20, with results to be declared on the same day as Jharkhand, November 23.
A total of 2.60 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in Jharkhand, including 1.31 crore male and 1.29 crore female voters. The state has 11.84 lakh first-time voters, with 66.84 lakh categorized as young voters.
The last dates for filing nominations are October 25 for the first phase and October 29 for the second phase. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on October 28 and October 30, while the deadlines for withdrawing candidatures are October 30 and November 1.
Senior citizens over 85 years of age will be able to vote from home. Kumar said that these voters are “entitled to their privacy” during the home voting process, and videography will be conducted for record-keeping.
The current term of the Jharkhand Assembly is set to expire on January 5, 2025. Elections will be held across 81 constituencies, including 44 general, 9 reserved for SC, and 28 reserved for ST candidates. A delegation from the Election Commission of India, led by the Chief Election Commissioner, had reviewed poll preparedness in Jharkhand during a visit to Ranchi on September 24.
(With ANI input)