Ranchi, January 27: Jharkhand is set to hold elections for 48 urban local bodies on February 23, with a total of 43,33,574 voters eligible to cast their votes. This includes 22,07,203 male voters, 21,26,227 female voters, and 144 transgender voters, according to the State Election Commission.
The elections will cover nine municipal corporations for mayoral posts, 20 municipal councils and 19 town panchayats for chairperson positions, along with 1,087 ward councillors across the state.
Following the announcement of the election schedule by the State Election Commission on Tuesday, political activities in urban areas have intensified. State Election Commissioner Alka Tiwari informed that a total of 4,304 polling stations have been set up across Jharkhand, located in 2,129 buildings.
It is notable that urban local body elections in Jharkhand have been pending since 2020. The government postponed these polls due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent legal and procedural issues further delayed the process.
The State Election Commission has also prescribed expenditure limits for candidates. For mayor or chairperson candidates in municipal corporations with a population of 10 lakh or more (based on the 2011 Census), the maximum allowed campaign expenditure is Rs 25 lakh. Ward councillor candidates in these areas can spend up to Rs 5 lakh.
In municipal corporations with populations below 10 lakh, the spending limits are Rs 15 lakh for mayor or chairperson candidates and Rs 3 lakh for ward councillors.
For municipal councils with populations of one lakh or more, the expenditure cap is Rs 10 lakh for chairperson candidates and Rs 2 lakh for ward councillors. In councils with populations below one lakh, the limits are Rs 6 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh respectively.
Regarding town panchayats with populations ranging from 12,000 to less than 40,000, the maximum campaign spend allowed is Rs 5 lakh for chairperson candidates and Rs 1 lakh for ward councillors.
These measures aim to ensure transparency and fairness in the upcoming urban local body elections across Jharkhand.
My name is Bhupendra Singh Chundawat. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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