Low voter turnout in first phase of polling

New Delhi: Low voter turnout marked the first of the five-phased Jharkhand assembly elections with about 50 per cent of 6.6 million eligible voters opting to exercise their democratic right.

While the low turnout of voters is a cause of concern for all political parties, the peaceful conduct of elections in 26 of the 81-member assembly came as a pleasant surprise.

Jharkhand, a Maoist-infected state, had witnessed a violent election in April-May this year during Lok Sabha polls with bomb blasts, attacks on security forces and intimidation of voters.

Spark

The only spark in otherwise dull polling was witnessed in Poryahat assembly seat in Godda district. A bodyguard of former Lok Sabha member and senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Suraj Mandal fired several rounds in the air near a polling booth after the feisty Mandal had an altercation with a group of locals.

Elsewhere in Deoghar district, 591 registered tribal voters spread across three villages kept the election officials waiting all day as none of them turned up to cast their vote in protest against failure of authorities to provide electricity even 62 years after India attained independence and nine years after Jharkhand became a separate state.

The second phase of polling will take place on December 2. Elections will conclude with voting for the last phase on December 18, to be followed by counting of votes and declaration of results on December 23.