Ghatsila (Jharkhand), Nov 11 (IANS) The by-election for Jharkhand’s Ghatsila Assembly seat concluded peacefully on Tuesday, recording an impressive 73.88 per cent voter turnout till 5 p.m., according to figures released by the Election Commission.

Officials said the final turnout could rise further after the compilation of data from remote areas.

Chief Electoral Officer K. Ravi Kumar said the polling was conducted smoothly and monitored through live webcasting from the Election Commission of India, the CEO’s office, the District Election Officer, and the Returning Officer’s office.

To ensure transparency and security, CCTV cameras were installed inside and outside all 300 polling stations, he said.

“All arrangements were made to ensure that the by-election was free, fair, and peaceful,” Kumar said, adding that paramilitary forces, police personnel, and magistrates were deployed at every booth.

A total of 300 polling stations were set up across 231 locations, several of which were developed as model booths equipped with voter assistance facilities.

Voting began at 7 a.m. after a mock poll at 5.30 a.m., with all polling teams reaching their respective booths before dawn. Long queues of voters — including women, youth, and first-time voters — were seen since early morning.

Elderly and differently-abled voters also participated enthusiastically, arriving in wheelchairs and receiving assistance from election volunteers.

By 9 a.m., voter turnout had already reached 17.33 per cent, reflecting a brisk start to polling that continued steadily throughout the day.

No untoward incidents or major complaints were reported from any part of the constituency, officials said.

The by-election was necessitated by the death of sitting JMM MLA Ramdas Soren earlier this year. The contest is mainly between JMM’s Somesh Chandra Soren and BJP’s Babulal Soren among 13 candidates in the fray.

With polling now complete, the fate of all 13 candidates is sealed in the EVMs. Counting of votes will take place later this week, on November 14, along with the Bihar elections.

–IANS

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