As voting took place in 48 municipal bodies in Jharkhand, Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar emphasized the importance of local body elections for grassroots development. He urged voters to choose representatives dedicated to regional and state welfare. Godda MP Nishikant Dubey highlighted the need for citizens to exercise their democratic right, expressing concerns over the use of ballot papers in the digital era.
Hazaribagh MP Manish Jaiswal viewed the elections as crucial for development, cleanliness, and transparency. He encouraged voters with the message “First vote, then refreshment.” Ministers Sudivya Kumar and Shilpi Neha Tirkey stressed the significance of voting as a right and responsibility, particularly urging young voters to participate in electing educated and visionary leaders for urban local bodies.
Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth raised allegations of mismanagement in the elections, pointing out discrepancies in the ballot box system. Despite this, enthusiastic voters lined up at polling stations across the state, with voting scheduled from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The elections feature over 562 candidates vying for mayor and chairman positions, with 5,562 candidates contesting for ward councillor roles.
Unopposed elections for ward councillor positions occurred in 38 wards across 16 municipal bodies. A total of 43,33,574 voters, including male, female, and third-gender voters, are eligible to participate. While the elections are non-party based officially, political parties have supported candidates and campaigned extensively. The fate of candidates will be decided with the counting of votes starting on February 27.
