Ranchi, Feb 23 (NationPress) The voting process for electing mayors, chairpersons, and ward councillors in 48 municipal bodies throughout Jharkhand wrapped up at 5 p.m. on Monday, accompanied by scattered reports of violence, confrontations, and accusations of bogus voting.

The State Election Commission has yet to disclose the official voter turnout statistics; however, early estimates indicate that participation varied between 45% and 60% statewide.

Polling commenced at 7 a.m. for nine municipal corporations, including Ranchi, Dhanbad, Deoghar, Adityapur, Chas, Medininagar, Hazaribagh, Giridih, and Mango, along with 20 municipal councils and 19 nagar panchayats. A total of 4,304 polling stations were established, where numerous voters formed long lines since early morning.

Notable leaders such as Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, and MP Mahua Maji were seen waiting in lines to cast their votes in Ranchi.

Nonetheless, the polling was tainted by various instances of unrest. In the Chas area of Bokaro, DSP Praveen Singh sustained injuries during a confrontation between police and candidate supporters following an incident at a polling booth.

Three women were apprehended in Bhojpur Colony on suspicion of fraudulent voting, resulting in brief tensions.

In the Dhanbad Municipal Corporation, a fight erupted between the supporters of two candidates at a polling station in Ward 27. Reports surfaced of an attempted booth robbery and an attack on a candidate's brother in Ward 22.

In Ward 18 of Giridih, a conflict between two factions escalated into a road blockade and protest until administrative officials intervened to restore peace.

Violence also occurred at the Ambedkar Nagar polling station in Gumla. Meanwhile, in the Jugsalai area of Jamshedpur, voting faced delays for nearly an hour due to allegations of bogus voting.

Additional clashes were reported in Hindpiri of Ranchi. In Sahibganj, an accidental discharge from a Home Guard jawan's rifle caused momentary panic at a polling location.

Several voters expressed dissatisfaction over being assigned to different polling booths within the same family, while others complained about a lack of timely updates regarding changes to their booth locations, necessitating movement between polling stations.

Two significant concerns regarding election management emerged. Approximately 50,000 polling personnel were reportedly unable to vote due to the unavailability of a postal ballot option.

Additionally, questions arose regarding the decision to place ballots for both councillor and mayor-chairperson positions in the same box, with candidates voicing concerns that this could complicate and prolong the vote counting process.

With the voting concluded, the fate of 562 candidates vying for mayor and chairperson positions, alongside 5,562 ward councillor candidates, now rests in the ballot boxes.

The counting of votes is scheduled for February 27.