Massive Voter Participation Marks Ghatsila Bypoll
The Ghatsila assembly constituency bypoll recorded an impressive 74.63% voter turnout until 5 pm on Tuesday, demonstrating strong democratic participation. District Electorate Officer Karn Satyarthi confirmed that this figure might see a slight increase when the final voting percentage is officially announced later.
Peaceful and Efficient Electoral Process
Voting across all 300 polling booths proceeded in a completely free and fair manner, with no reports of law and order issues from any location. The electoral process remained smooth throughout the day, thanks to meticulous planning and coordination.
Voter enthusiasm was evident right from the beginning, with 17.33% polling recorded in the first two hours after voting commenced at 7 am. Both male and female voters formed long queues at polling stations, braving the morning chill to exercise their democratic rights.
Women Voters Lead the Charge
Women voters showed particularly strong participation, with impressive queues observed at multiple polling stations. At booth numbers 235 and 236 located at Kendriya Vidyalaya Surda, the substantial presence of women voters around 10 am caught the attention of polling personnel and candidates alike.
Rupesh, brother of JMM candidate Somesh Soren and a party leader, commented: "Over the past two decades, women voters have been casting their votes in overwhelming numbers, and this byelection is no exception to them."
Sneha Oraon, a young voter at the panchayat sachivalaya pawda gram panchayat booth, emphasized: "Voting is our constitutional right. Therefore, I have arrived at the booth on time."
Steady Increase in Voting Percentage
The voting percentage showed consistent growth throughout the day:
- By 1 pm: 54% voting recorded
- By 3 pm: 69.07% voting achieved
- Final tally at 5 pm: 74.63% polling
Robust Electoral Infrastructure and Security
The entire polling team, comprising polling personnel, security officials, micro-observers, video observers, and sector officers, ensured that every vote was cast freely and fairly without any inconvenience to voters. During the polling process, officials replaced one ballot unit (BU), one control unit (CU), and five VVPAT machines to maintain smooth operations.
DEO Satyarthi informed that 297 polling teams would submit their Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) on Tuesday at the receiving centre at Jamshedpur Cooperative College (JCC). The remaining EVMs from three polling stations would be submitted on Wednesday due to their distant locations.
Special Voting Arrangements Show High Participation
The bypoll saw remarkable participation from special categories of voters:
- 31 voters opted for home voting facilities
- 93.6% voting percentage among divyang voters
- 90.62% voting percentage among electorates above 85 years of age
The election authorities reported that one FIR was lodged for posting unconstitutional/illegal material on social media, and another FIR was filed for violation of the model code of conduct.
Political Reactions and Contesting Candidates
Both major candidates interpreted the high voter turnout as favorable to their prospects. JMM candidate Somesh Soren stated that the "high turnout of the voters is a stamp of approval to the popular schemes of the state government."
In contrast, BJP candidate Babulal Soren told media that the voter turnout indicated "growing disenchantment towards the state government on issues central to the Adivasis' welfare and development."
The bypoll featured 13 candidates, including one woman candidate, competing for the assembly seat. A total of 2,55,823 electors were eligible to vote, comprising 1,24,899 male voters, 1,30,921 female voters, and three third-gender voters.
The bypoll was necessitated following the untimely death of sitting MLA and minister Ramdas Soren on August 15. The strong room at the cooperative college will be sealed following mandatory Election Commission guidelines to ensure complete safety of the EVMs.
