Campaigning ends for civic polls in 48 urban bodies across Jharkhand

Campaigning for elections to 48 municipal bodies across Jharkhand concluded at 5 p.m. on Saturday, with polling scheduled to take place in a single phase on Monday, 23 February. Voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., while counting is set to begin at 8 a.m. on 27 February.

The elections cover nine municipal corporations, 20 municipal councils and 19 Nagar Panchayats. Voters will elect mayors and chairpersons as well as ward councillors in 1,087 wards.

However, results in 38 wards across 16 urban bodies have already been decided uncontested after only one candidate remained in each of those seats. The respective returning officers have declared those candidates elected.

Following nomination, scrutiny and withdrawals, 6,288 candidates remain in the race. This includes 560 candidates contesting for mayoral and chairperson posts and 5,728 for ward councillor positions. Earlier, 38 candidates withdrew their nominations, while 424 nomination papers were rejected during scrutiny.

With the campaign period over, public meetings, rallies and processions are no longer permitted, though candidates may continue door-to-door outreach until polling day.

The State Election Commission said all arrangements have been finalised for the conduct of the polls. Polling personnel began leaving for their assigned stations in several districts on Saturday, while others are scheduled to depart on Sunday.

Voting will be conducted through ballot papers, and there will be no option for “None of the Above” (NOTA). Electors must cast their vote for one of the contesting candidates.

A dry day will be observed in areas going to the polls, with the sale of liquor prohibited. District Election Officers have been instructed to submit status updates to the State Election Commission every two hours to ensure swift intervention in case of any irregularities.

These civic elections are being seen as significant because, for the first time, reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, women and backward classes have been implemented in urban local bodies in the state. The move is expected to strengthen representation and broaden participation in local governance.

The election process began on 4 February, and symbols were allotted on 7 February. With campaigning now over, the administration has shifted its focus to ensuring free, fair and peaceful polling. Security arrangements have been tightened across all municipal bodies, and police carried out flag marches in several towns, including Ranchi, as a confidence-building measure ahead of voting.

With IANS inputs