Ranchi, February 27: The counting of votes for the municipal elections in Jharkhand is gradually revealing the outcomes for chairperson and mayoral positions across 48 local bodies. Voting took place on February 23 across 9 municipal corporations, 19 municipal councils, and 20 town councils.
Vote counting commenced at 8 AM on Friday. Due to the use of ballot papers, final results are taking longer to be announced. However, clear indications of victories and leads for several key positions have emerged. The first result declared was for the chairperson position in Pakur Municipal Council, where Shabari Pal defeated her closest rival, Selina Sultan, by a margin of 2,353 votes.
Shabari Pal has previously served as the district president of the BJP’s women’s wing but contested this election without any official party support. Selina Sultan was backed by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, while the former chairperson, Sanpa Sah, was a BJP-supported candidate. In Ranchi Municipal Corporation, BJP-supported candidate Roshni Khalkho has established a strong lead for the mayoral position based on early trends.
Currently, she is ahead by approximately 12,000 votes. Her main competitors, Rama Khalkho and Sujit Kujur, are trailing behind. In Deoghar Municipal Corporation, BJP-supported candidate Rita Chaurasia has also gained a significant lead in the chairperson election.
According to the latest trends, she is ahead of her nearest rival by about 2,300 votes, with Ravi Raut, supported by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, in second place. In Chatra Municipal Council, initial trends show Aman Kumar leading with 1,801 votes, while Rajesh Kumar follows in second place with 1,479 votes.
An interesting situation is unfolding in Garhwa Municipal Council, where independent candidate Masoom Khan is currently leading with 2,136 votes, maintaining a slight edge over his nearest rival. Masoom Khan has entered the race after rebelling against the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.
The counting for the chairperson position in Khunti Town Council is still ongoing, with BJP-supported candidate Rani Tuti leading against her opponents. Although the municipal elections in the state were conducted on a non-partisan basis, various political parties actively campaigned for their supported candidates. Consequently, political parties view the trends for chairperson and mayoral positions as indicators of their influence.
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