New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS) The much-awaited counting of votes for Jharkhand’s urban civic polls was underway on Friday amid heavy security arrangements in the state.
The elections to 48 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), including nine Municipal Corporations, 20 Municipal Councils, and 19 Nagar Panchayats, were held on February 23, recording an impressive voter turnout of around 62 per cent.
Out of more than 43.33 lakh registered voters, over 21.26 lakh women exercised their franchise, reflecting strong participation in urban governance. The civic elections mark the return of elected municipal bodies after a prolonged gap since the last major urban polls in 2018.
Twenty-five counting centres have been set up at district headquarters across Jharkhand. In Deoghar district, counting is being conducted at centres in Deoghar and Madhupur. Officials said the counting process commenced at 8 a.m., and initial trends are expected within a couple of hours.
The elections were conducted using two coloured ballot papers -- white for ward councillors and pink for mayor or chairman posts.
Jharkhand has a total of 1,087 wards across the 48 ULBs. However, polling was held in 1,042 wards. As many as 41 councillors were elected unopposed, three wards remained vacant due to the non-receipt of nominations, and polling in one ward of the Mango Municipal Corporation was countermanded following the death of a candidate.
In these elections, more than 43 lakh people were eligible to exercise their franchise. A total of 562 candidates, including 235 women, were in the fray for the posts of mayor and chairman. Meanwhile, 5,562 candidates, including 2,727 women, were contesting for ward councillor positions.
Although the civic polls were not contested on official political party symbols, several candidates are backed by different political outfits, making the contests keenly watched across urban centres in the state.
Authorities have deployed heavy security personnel at all counting venues to ensure a smooth and peaceful counting process.
--IANS
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