Polling staff carry ballot boxes and election materials amid preparations on the eve of voting in the Jharkhand municipal elections, in Ranchi, on February 22, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
All preparations have been made for conducting elections to Jharkhand’s 48 urban local bodies (ULB), including Ranchi, on Monday (February 23, 2026), a State Election Commission (SEC) official said.
Voting will begin at 7 a.m. amid tight security and will continue till 5 p.m., he said.
Over 43.43 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the elections.
“The polling parties have been dispatched on Sunday morning (February 22, 2026), and they are expected to reach their respective destinations by this evening. Many of them have already reached,” SEC secretary Radhe Shyam Prasad told PTI.
The counting of votes will be held on February 27.
The elections are scheduled to be held for the posts of mayor, chairperson and councillor at 1,042 wards in nine municipal corporations, 20 nagar parishads and 19 nagar panchayats, he said.
There are 1,087 wards in 48 ULBs, but elections will be held in 1,042 wards, as 41 councillors have already been elected unopposed, while three wards remained vacant after no nomination was received, and an election at a ward in Mango Municipal Corporation has been cancelled after the death of a candidate, Prasad said.
As many as 562 candidates, including 235 women, are in the fray for the post of mayor and chairperson, while 5,562 candidates, including 2,727 women, are contesting for the post of ward councillors.
Mr. Prasad said adequate security arrangements have been ensured in each booth across 48 ULBs in the State.
A total of 4,307 polling booths have been set up to hold the elections. Of the total polling booths, 896 have been identified as hyper-sensitive and 2,445 as sensitive.
The campaigning for the polls ended at 5 p.m. on Saturday (February 21).
ULB polls in Jharkhand are not contested on the basis of the electoral symbols of the political parties, but candidates are backed by the outfits.
In Ranchi, 11 candidates are contesting for the post of mayor, while 167 aspirants are in the fray for 53 ward councillor posts.
Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri said all preparations are in place for the election on Monday (February 23).
As many as 909 polling booths have been set up in Ranchi. A total of 422 wheelchairs have been provided to facilitate elderly and physically challenged persons in booths, according to a statement issued by the Ranchi administration.
Published – February 22, 2026 05:18 pm IST
