Ranchi, Nov 13 (IANS) The first phase of the Jharkhand Assembly elections concluded successfully on Wednesday with a voter turnout of 64.86 per cent across 43 constituencies, according to preliminary data from the Election Commission.

This figure, recorded till 5 p.m., may increase slightly after the final count is confirmed.

Notably, there was significant voter enthusiasm in areas long affected by Maoist influence, especially among women and young voters.

District-wise, Saraikela-Kharsawan saw the highest turnout at 72.19 per cent, while Hazaribagh recorded the lowest at 59.13 per cent. At the constituency level, Kharsawan led with a remarkable 77.32 per cent voting, while Ranchi Urban had the lowest at 51.50 per cent.

Other constituencies with over 70 per cent turnout included Baharagora (76.15 per cent), Lohardaga (73.21 per cent), Mandar (72.13 per cent), Potka (72.29 per cent), Saraikela (71.54 per cent), Sisai (71.21 per cent), and Bishunpur (70.06 per cent).

In this phase, 20 seats were reserved for Scheduled Tribes, 6 for Scheduled Castes, and 17 were general seats.

A total of 683 candidates contested, including notable figures such as former Chief Minister Champai Soren and his son Babulal Soren, six ministers of the Jharkhand government, former Chief Minister Arjun Munda’s wife Meera Munda, and several other prominent leaders including former Assembly Speaker C.P. Singh, and former Minister Saryu Rai.

Voting was conducted across 15,344 polling stations, with polls opening at 7 a.m. In highly sensitive areas, voting was concluded at 4 p.m. due to security concerns, covering 950 polling stations.

In the 2019 elections, the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance secured 25 of these 43 seats, while the BJP managed only 13.

The second phase of voting in Jharkhand will take place on November 20 with counting set for November 23.