J’khand civic polls: Scribe becomes Hazaribagh mayor; BJP-backed candidate leading for Ranchi post

Ranchi, Feb 27 (PTI) Arvind Rana, a journalist with a Hindi newspaper, won the post of mayor in the civic polls for Hazaribag Municipal Corporation by defeating his nearest Congress-backed rival Sarfarz, the results of which were declared on Friday.

An official said that in Ranchi, BJP-backed mayoral candidate Roshni Khalkho was leading by 13,511 votes against Congress-supported Rama Khalkho after the first round of counting. As many as five rounds of counting are scheduled to take place.

Counting of votes for the polls to 48 urban local bodies in Jharkhand has been underway since Friday morning, and it will conclude on Saturday, where the exercise will not be completed by night, State Election Commission Secretary Radhe Shyam Prasad said.

"Ballot papers were segregated in the initial stage of the counting. Polling was conducted using two colours of ballot papers -- white and pink -- for the election of councillors and mayors or chairpersons, respectively,” he said.

Prasad said the results are being declared as counting completes.

The civic polls were not contested on the electoral symbols of the political parties, but candidates are backed by political parties.

The elections were held on February 23, with over 63 per cent of the total 43 lakh voters exercising their franchise.

Elections were held for the posts of mayor and chairperson in 48 ULBs, and councillors in 1,042 wards across nine municipal corporations, 20 nagar parishads and 19 nagar panchayats.

There are 1,087 wards in 48 ULBs, but elections were held in 1,042, as 41 councillors were elected unopposed. Three wards remained vacant after no nomination was received, while polling in one ward of the Mango Municipal Corporation was countermanded following the death of a candidate.

As many as 562 candidates, including 235 women, were in the fray for the posts of mayor and chairperson, while 5,562 aspirants, including 2,727 women, contested the posts of ward councillors. PTI SAN BDC SAN NN