Voting is underway for second phase of Assembly Elections in Jharkhand and single phase polling in Maharashtra amid tight security.
In Jharkhand, voting is being held in 38 constituencies in 12 districts. Polling began at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm, while in Naxal infested 31 booths, polling will be held upto 4 pm due to security reasons. 528 candidates are in the fray in this phase.
Jharkhand’s Chief Electoral Officer K. Ravi Kumar has urged voters to cast their ballots without fear.
Tight security arrangements have been made to ensure free and fair polls. Jawans of central para military forces have been deployed at each booth. Inter- district border has been sealed and a joint operation has been launched in the bordering areas of Bihar and West Bengal to check infiltrators and anti social elements. Helicopters have been pressed into service to meet any eventuality.
In Maharashtra, elections for all 288 seats are being held in a single phase. Voting began at 7 AM and will conclude at 6 PM. A total of 4,136 candidates are in the fray including 2,086 independent contenders. Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer, S. Chokalingam said, around five lakh polling personnel are managing one lakh four hundred and twenty seven polling stations in the state.
By-elections are also being held for Parliamentary constituency of Nanded in Maharashtra and 15 Assembly seats spread over four states: Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Uttarakhand. Counting of votes for all states will be taken up on Saturday.
A total of 1,00,427 polling stations have been arranged the state’s 9.70 crore voters at. Pune district has the highest number of polling stations followed by Mumbai Suburban, Thane, Nashik and Nagpur. 426 polling stations across the State are being managed exclusively by women. Live webcasting will be conducted at 67,557 polling stations. Polling stations are equipped with ramps and wheelchairs for elderly and differently-abled voters. Additionally, the State has provided transport facilities for these voters.
In urban areas, especially in cities like Pune, Mumbai, and Thane, 1,181 polling stations have been set up in high-rise buildings and housing societies, while 210 polling stations have been established in slum areas. Special attention has been given to tribal constituencies and remote regions. Areas such as Gadchiroli, Gondia, Nandurbar, Dhule, and Amravati, which have significant tribal populations, have seen an increase in polling stations to ensure ease of voting. To ensure a smooth polling process, the Maharashtra Police has deployed over 2 lakh personnel from the Home Guard, Civil Defence, Central Armed Police Forces, State Armed Police Forces, and State Reserve Police Forces.
