Mail News Service
Chaibasa, Feb 23 : Voting for the Municipal elections in Chaibasa and Chakradharpur concluded on a largely peaceful note on Monday, with an enthusiastic voter turnout recorded in both urban local bodies.
Polling was conducted at 38 booths in Chaibasa and 49 in Chakradharpur.
By 5 pm, Chaibasa registered a voter turnout of 61.05 per cent, while Chakradharpur recorded 57.95 per cent.
With several voters still in queues after the scheduled closing time, officials expressed hope that the final turnout would touch nearly 65 per cent.
Polling began at 7 am, and long queues were visible at several booths even before voting commenced. In the first two hours, Chaibasa recorded 10.68 per cent polling, while Chakradharpur registered 9.44 per cent. By 11 am, the turnout rose to 21.30 per cent in Chaibasa and 15.11 per cent in Chakradharpur.
The pace picked up steadily through the afternoon, reaching 34.59 per cent in Chaibasa and 33.05 per cent in Chakradharpur by 1 pm.
By 3 pm, the figures climbed to 48.61 per cent and 46.87 per cent respectively, before crossing the 60 per cent mark in Chaibasa by evening.
Barring minor verbal altercations at a few locations, polling remained largely smooth and orderly.
District Election Officer Chandan Kumar and Superintendent of Police Amit Renu personally inspected several polling stations along with sub-divisional officers to oversee arrangements.
The SP appealed to voters to cast their ballots fearlessly, assuring that adequate security forces had been deployed across all booths.
After the completion of polling, ballot boxes were transported to the strong room set up at the Women’s College in Chaibasa, designated for both municipal areas.
The Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police visited the receiving centre to review arrangements and issue necessary instructions to officials on duty.
The Deputy Commissioner confirmed that voting concluded peacefully in both towns. However, as polling continued at certain booths beyond 5 pm due to queues, the final voter turnout figures are expected to be announced after compilation of the remaining data.
