Ranchi, November 11: The Ghatsila Assembly by-election witnessed an impressive voter turnout of 73.88 percent, as people came out in large numbers to cast their votes on Tuesday.
Polling was conducted peacefully across all 300 polling booths between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., under tight security arrangements. The Election Commission (EC) had made complete preparations to ensure a free and fair election, including webcasting at all 300 polling booths.
A total of 13 candidates are in the fray for the seat, which fell vacant following the demise of former Education Minister Ramdas Soren. The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) had fielded Ramdas’ son Somesh Chandra Soren, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Babulal Soren as its candidate.
Earlier, both the parties had campaigned extensively, making the bypoll a prestige battle. While the JMM is looking to consolidate its tribal base and strengthen its credibility among the masses, the BJP is aiming to challenge the ruling alliance by winning the seat.
JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya had said that the people of Ghatsila have decided to pay tribute to Shibu Soren and late Ramdas Soren by ensuring JMM’s victory.
On the other hand, Jharkhand BJP working president Aditya Sahu said voters are determined to teach the state government a lesson for its alleged anti-tribal stance, rampant corruption, and poor law and order.
However, the outcome of the bypoll is not expected to affect the state government’s stability, as the JMM-led alliance currently has 55 MLAs in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, while the BJP-led NDA holds only 24 seats.
