63 pc voter turnout recorded in Jharkhand till 5 pm

Ranchi, May 13 (PTI) A voter turnout of 63.14 per cent was recorded till 5 pm in the four Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand where polling was held on Monday, officials said.

Voting started at 7 am in Singhbhum, Lohardaga, Khunti and Palamu seats amid tight security measures, marking the first phase of elections in the eastern state. Polling was peaceful in all the four seats, officials added.

Singhbhum registered the highest voter turnout of 66.11 per cent, followed by Khunti (65.82), Lohardaga (62.60) and Palamu (59.99).

The overall voter turnout in these four constituencies was 66.01 per cent in the 2019 LS polls.

Much enthusiasm was witnessed among voters, especially in Maoist-hit areas in Singhbhum, Palamu and Lohardaga. In some of these places, people voted after decades.

Chief Minister Champai Soren along with his family exercised their franchise at his ancestral village Jilinggora.

"I voted in my village today ensuring my participation in this grand festival of the world's largest democracy," he said.

BJP's Khunti candidate Arjun Munda, the Union Tribal Affairs Minister, said he was confident that people of the country will vote for the party and make Narendra Modi the PM again.

He voted along with his wife Meera Munda at a booth at Khelarisai in Kharsawan.

His rival Kalicharan Munda of the Congress also exercised his franchise and claimed that he would win by over 50,000 votes.

After voting, JMM Singhbhum's candidate Joba Manjhi said, "I have faith that voters will certainly shower their blessings on me in this election." Congress's Lohardaga candidate Sukhdev Bhagat also claimed that he will win the polls.

"People are coming out in large numbers to exercise their franchise and oust the BJP from Lohardaga constituency," Bhagat said after casting his vote.

Over 64.37 lakh electors are eligible to vote in this phase. Forty-five candidates are in the fray in these four seats. PTI NAM SAN MNB