Jharkhand records 70% turnout in third phase of panchayat elections

Over 70 per cent of the 46.94 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the third of the four-phase panchayat elections of Jharkhand on Tuesday, an official said.

Altogether 1,047 panchayats across 19 districts went to polls to elect 6,370 panchayat members, 1,043 mukhiyas, 1,165 panchayat committee representatives and 126 Zilla Parishad members.

Altogether 5,950 candidates have already been declared elected unopposed in this phase, the official said. Votes will be counted on May 31.

Polling has been peaceful in 12,912 booths across 70 blocks of the state. Altogether 70.54 per cent voter turnout was recorded, State Election Commission (SEC) secretary Radhe Shyam Prasad told PTI.

Panchayat elections are not held on party lines in Jharkhand.

There are 27,343 candidates in the third phase of the rural polls.

Deoghar district recorded the highest voter turnout of 79.18 per cent, while Simdega registered the lowest at 64.62 per cent.

Meanwhile, two improvised explosive devices (IED) were recovered by CRPF just 150 meters away from a polling booth at Dulki area under Manatu police station in Palamu district.

In another incident in the same police station area, a voter was killed and about 24 others were injured after a pick-up van carrying them overturned, police said.

Panchayat polls in the state are being held in four phases in the state with the last round scheduled on May 27. The first and second phases of polls were held on May 14 and 17.

The counting of votes for the second phase of polls, which began on May 22, is still on, while that of the first round was completed.