After years of delay and prolonged legal proceedings, the much-awaited municipal elections in Jharkhand have finally been announced, bringing an end to uncertainty surrounding urban local governance in the state.
The move follows strong observations and repeated directions from the Jharkhand High Court, which had expressed concern over the absence of elected civic bodies.
State Election Commissioner Alka Tiwari on Tuesday declared the election schedule, stating that voting for municipal bodies will be held on February 23, while counting of votes will take place on February 27.
As per the notification issued by the State Election Commission, the entire election process will be completed by the end of February.
Appealing to citizens to participate actively, Alka Tiwari described the civic polls as a “festival of democracy” and urged voters to turn out in large numbers to elect their respective city governments.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of firm intervention by the High Court, which had directed the authorities to restore democratic processes at the urban local body level without further delay.
Notably, the last municipal elections in Jharkhand were conducted in 2018. Since then, elected civic bodies have remained non-existent, mainly due to legal disputes, particularly over reservation issues.
Clarifying key aspects of the elections, the Commission said the polls will be conducted on the basis of the new reservation list issued on January 9, a major point of contention in the legal battle.
Under the revised roster, the post of Mayor of the Ranchi Municipal Corporation has been reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.
The Election Commission also confirmed that the upcoming elections will be held using the earlier revised voter list, which had previously sparked controversy. Officials have now made it clear that the same electoral roll will be applicable for the polls.
With the declaration of the election schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force in Ranchi and other concerned municipal areas.
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