Stage is set for the fourth and final round of panchayat polls on Friday. Around 58 lakh voters spread across 1,299 panchayats in 23 districts will elect their local bodies representatives. Out of 59.16 lakh voters the female voters is 28.20 lakh while the rest are male voters. The voters will decide the fate of 35,504 candidates.
Out of these 35,504 candidates whose fate will be decided these include 15,875 panchayat members, 1,299 mukhiyas, 1,587 panchayat committee representatives and 159 zilla parishad members for a total 18,920 posts. However, a total of 6,950 candidates have already been declared winners unopposed on posts of 6,811 panchayat members, five mukhiyas, 133 panchayat committee representatives and one zilla parishad member in the fourth phase of the elections, officials from State Election Commission said.
Like other phases, panchayat polls in Jharkhand are not being held on party lines. Officials at SEC said that preparations for the fourth and final round of elections have been completed. Adequate security personnel will be deployed at polling booths for fair voting. The voting will be held from 7 am to 3 pm. The counting of votes for the fourth and final round of election will be held on May 31.
Panchayat polls in the state are being held in four phases with the first phase of polls taking place on May 14. The second and third phases were held on May 19 and 24.
In the third phase of Jharkhand Panchayat Election there was around 70.54 percent voting. There was a lot of enthusiasm among voters from morning at the polling stations. District wise Deoghar recorded the highest voter turnout of 79.18%. The SEC expects that in the fourth round of polling too there will be record voting.
In Ranchi under the fourth phase of election voting in five blocks of district, Burmu, Khelari, Mandar, Chanho and Ratu, will go to polls on May 27. DC Chhaviranjan on Thursday directed officials to fully comply with all the guidelines issued by the Election Commission. At the same time, necessary guidelines were also given on many important points related to law and order during the voting. DDC Vishal Sagar, Superintendent of Police Rural Naushad Alam and District Panchayati Raj Officer Virendra Choubey were present on the occasion.
The DC said that the polling will be held from 7 am to 3 pm. Extensive preparations have been made for fair voting. The DC said that the fair and non-discriminatory polling should be done fearlessly. He said that the Sector Magistrate and Police Officer is an important link in the election. On their alertness and efficiency, smooth voting is possible at all the polling stations of the sector.