Jharkhand Municipal Polls: Vote Counting Begins Across 48 Urban Bodies

New Delhi: The counting of votes for the urban local body elections in Jharkhand began on Friday under tight security arrangements across the state.

Elections were held on February 23 for 48 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), comprising nine Municipal Corporations, 20 Municipal Councils and 19 Nagar Panchayats, and witnessed a voter turnout of around 62 per cent.

Out of over 43.33 lakh registered voters, more than 21.26 lakh women cast their votes, underlining strong female participation in urban governance. The polls mark the return of elected municipal bodies after a long gap since the last major civic elections in 2018.

A total of 25 counting centres have been established at district headquarters. In Deoghar, counting is underway at centres in Deoghar and Madhupur. Officials said the process began at 8 a.m., with early trends expected within a few hours.

The elections were conducted using two coloured ballot papers—white for ward councillors and pink for mayor or chairman posts.

Jharkhand has 1,087 wards across the 48 ULBs, though polling took place in 1,042 wards. Forty-one councillors were elected unopposed, three wards remained vacant due to lack of nominations, and polling in one ward of the Mango Municipal Corporation was countermanded following the death of a candidate.

In total, more than 43 lakh voters were eligible to vote. As many as 562 candidates, including 235 women, contested for mayor and chairman posts, while 5,562 candidates, including 2,727 women, were in the fray for ward councillor positions.

Although the polls were held without official party symbols, several candidates are backed by political parties, making the contests closely watched across urban centres. Heavy security has been deployed at all counting venues to ensure a smooth and peaceful process.

With inputs from IANS