Jharkhand will witness the first phase of Assembly elections on Wednesday, with polling scheduled across 43 constituencies.

The second phase is scheduled for November 20 in the remaining 38 constituencies. The votes will be counted on November 23.

In the first phase, voting will be held on November 13 from 7 am to 5 pm. However, in 950 booths, the voting time will end at 4 pm, though people standing in the queue at that time will be able to vote, according to PTI.

In total, 15,344 polling stations have been set up across the state. Over 200 companies of security forces are deployed in strategic locations to maintain order and safeguard the electoral process. In this phase, 683 contenders, including 73 women, competed for seats.

The 43 constituencies include 17 general seats, 20 reserved for Scheduled Tribes, and six for Scheduled Castes.

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In the previous assembly election, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) won 30 seats, the BJP won 25 and Congress won 16 seats. A coalition of the JMM, Congress, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal formed the government after the last Assembly elections, with Soren assuming the role of chief minister.

The tenure of the current Jharkhand Assembly is set to conclude on January 5, 2025.