Veteran politicians like Champai Soren, Banna Gupta, Saryu Rai, Babulal Soren (son of Champai Soren), Ramdas Soren, Purnima Das, Dr Ajay Kumar, and Mangal Kalindi are facing a crucial moment in the first phase of the Jharkhand assembly elections. Their political fate is at stake as they compete for the support of voters in their constituencies.
However, the election process has not been without issues. In the Jagannathpur Assembly Constituency, voters expressed their anger by boycotting the election due to the relocation of the Tadeya booth centre. The new booth centre number 85, located in the Novamundi block, replaced the Tadeya Uktramit Middle School, which had been declared a Naxal-affected area. In protest, all 760 voters from the Tadeya and Sukripada booth centres gathered outside the old booth centre, shouting slogans and refusing to vote at the new location.
Meanwhile, Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, along with his daughter-in-law Purnima Das (a candidate from Jamshedpur East), and her family members, arrived at the polling station to cast their votes. Their presence in the election added significance to the event.
Polling began at 7 a.m. in the East Singhbhum district on the first day of the Jharkhand assembly elections. Voters turned up early at polling booths, though voter turnout remained relatively low by 9:30 a.m., with the district recording an average of 11.25%. The voter turnout varied across different assembly constituencies, with Bahragoda (44) leading the district with a 13.77% turnout, followed by Ghatshila (45) at 12.73%. Potka (46) recorded a turnout of 12.10%, while Jamshedpur East (48) saw 11.35% of voters participate. Jamshedpur West (49) had 9.70%, and Jugaslai (47) recorded the lowest turnout at 9.33%.