State Bureau, Ranchi: The campaign for the second and final phase of the Jharkhand Assembly elections, covering 38 constituencies, concluded on Monday. Before the campaigning deadline, all political parties and candidates gave their best efforts. Now, with the end of the official campaign period, candidates can only engage in door-to-door campaigning. No public meetings or roadshows are allowed anymore.
Voting in these constituencies is scheduled for November 20 starting at 7 AM. In 31 constituencies, polling will continue until 5 PM at all booths. However, in seven constituencies, only 31 polling booths will conclude voting by 4 PM, while the remaining booths will remain open until 5 PM. Voters standing in queues at the end of the voting period will still be allowed to cast their votes.
Key Contenders to Watch
This phase is critical as it includes constituencies of several prominent leaders:
- Hemant Soren, the current Chief Minister
- Rabindranath Mahato, the Speaker
- Babulal Marandi, former Chief Minister
- Sudesh Mahto, former Deputy CM
- Current ministers Irfan Ansari, Hafizul Hasan, Deepika Pandey Singh, and Baby Devi
- 11 former ministers, including Hemlal Murmu, Stephen Marandi, Basant Soren, Louis Marandi, Badal, Randhir Kumar Singh, Suresh Paswan, Pradeep Yadav, JP Patel, Mathura Mahato, and Jaleshwar Mahato
Additionally, notable figures like Lobin Hembram, Sita Soren, and Louis Marandi, who left JMM for BJP, will also be in focus. Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren and brother Basant Soren are among the key personalities whose fate will be decided in this phase.
In total, 528 candidates are contesting in this phase, including 472 male, 55 female, and one third-gender candidate, Ashwini Ambedkar, from Giridih.
Live Monitoring of Polling Stations
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K. Ravi Kumar has assured free, fair, and peaceful elections with adequate deployment of security forces. Live monitoring will be conducted at all polling stations through cameras installed inside and outside the premises. Webcasting will enable real-time supervision from district headquarters to the CEO’s office.
Special arrangements have been made for leprosy patients at the Snehalpur Leprosy Ashram in Mihijam, Jamtara, where a temporary polling booth has been set up at the Snehalpur Community Hall in Hansi Pahadi for 57 voters.
Stricter Rules for Candidates’ Camps
Candidates must set up their camps at least 200 meters away from polling booths on voting day. These camps cannot display party posters, symbols, or other materials. Any violations will result in action against the concerned candidate. Only plain slips with voters’ serial numbers may be issued to voters at these camps.
Voting privacy is mandatory, and carrying mobile phones, taking photos, or recording videos inside polling stations is prohibited. Violations will lead to legal consequences.
