Counting begins in Jharkhand

Ranchi:Counting of votes for the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly began in 24 centres across the state today amid tight security.

There are 1,312 counting tables, besides 83 tables for assistant returning officers, an Election Commission release said here.

The process began at 7 AM and the actual counting started an hour later.

Deogarh constituency would have the maximum rounds of 31 and Chakradharpur the minimum with 10 rounds.

The nearly four-week long elections to the Assembly concluded on December 20 to decide its fate after two previous voters' verdict throwing a hung House.

A record 66.47 per cent polling had been registered in the five-phase polling, which began on November 25.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren (JMM -Dumka and Barhait seats) and ex-CMs Arjun Munda (BJP-Kharsawan), Madhu Koda (Jai Bharat Samanta Party-Majhgaon) and Babulal Marandi (Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Dhanwar-Giridih) are among the total 1,136 candidates, including 111 women, who contested the polls.

Other prominent candidates in the fray were Speaker Shashank Sekhar Bhokta (JMM) from Sarath and ex-Speaker C P Singh (BJP) from Ranchi.