Ranchi: The Jharkhand Election Commission on Tuesday announced the long-awaited schedule for municipal elections in 48 urban local bodies, with polling slated for February 23 and counting of votes on February 27.
Announcing the poll programme, State Election Commissioner Alka Tiwari said the Model Code of Conduct has come into force with immediate effect in all 48 municipal areas.
The nomination process will commence on February 4, followed by scrutiny, while February 6 will be the deadline for withdrawal of nominations. Election symbols will be allotted on February 7.
Voting will be held in a single phase from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on February 23 across the state. The commission said results will be declared on February 27.
The civic elections will be conducted using ballot papers and on a non-party basis. Voters will not have the NOTA option and will be required to vote for one of the candidates in the fray.
The elections will be held in nine municipal corporations, 20 municipal councils, and 19 nagar panchayats, covering 1,087 wards in total.
Several urban bodies have remained without elected representatives for years, with elections in 13 bodies pending since 2020 and in others, including Ranchi, since 2022.
In a first for the state, reservations have been implemented for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, women, and Other Backward Classes across all municipal institutions.
With inputs from IANS