(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Over 25 lakh people - more than 70 percent of the electorate - yesterday exercised their franchise in the fifth and last round of the assembly election in Jharkhand, officials said.
Sixteen constituencies voted Saturday in the final phase. Of the 16 seats, seven were reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
In New Delhi, Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi told the media that the turnout for the fifth and final phase in Jharkhand was 71.25 percent, while the overall percentage was 66.03 percent.
An Election Commission official in Ranchi put the fifth round figure at 70.42 percent, according to estimates. The highest polling was recorded in Pakur with 75.5 percent, followed by Littipara with 75 percent, while the lowest turnout was recorded in Mahagama at 66.32 percent, the official said, adding that polling was by and large peaceful.
The fate of 208 candidates, including 16 women, was sealed in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in this phase.
A total of 36,90,069 voters - that included over 19 lakh males and more than 17 lakh females - were eligible to vote at 3,773 polling booths. Voting started at 7am and ended at 3pm.
Of the total booths, 833 were declared 'very sensitive', while another 1,496 were declared 'sensitive'. As many as 22,240 personnel were deployed in the fifth phase.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the sitting legislator from Dumka, contested from two constituencies - Dumka and Barhet.
In the 2009 election, the JMM had won nine of the 16 seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party two.
Other prominent candidates in the fray in the final phase were Speaker Shashank Shekhar Bhokta, cabinet minister Lobin Hembrom, Sita Soren, Louis Marandi, Hemlal Murmu, Simon Marandi and Pradeep Yadav.
Votes will be counted on December 23.
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