Congress Candidate Rama Khalkho Takes Lead in Ranchi Mayoral Race
In a dramatic turn of events during the Ranchi Municipal Corporation mayoral election counting on Friday evening, Congress-backed candidate Rama Khalkho surged ahead of BJP-backed Roshni Khalkho after the completion of the third round. The closely contested race saw a significant reversal from earlier trends, injecting fresh excitement into the municipal polls.
Third Round Results Show Dramatic Shift
After the third round of counting, Rama Khalkho secured 38,689 votes, establishing a clear lead over Roshni Khalkho who polled 37,247 votes. This marked a substantial turnaround from the previous rounds where Roshni had maintained consistent leads. JMM-backed candidate Sujeet Vijay Anand Kujur remained in third position with 5,171 votes.
Earlier Rounds Favored BJP Candidate
The second round had seen Roshni Khalkho maintaining her advantage with 40,208 votes compared to Rama's 29,635 votes. In the initial round, Roshni's lead was even more pronounced, as she bagged 44,574 votes against Rama's 31,063 votes, creating a gap of over 13,500 votes. Kujur managed 3,887 votes in the second round and 4,552 votes in the first, consistently occupying the third position.
Election Background and Voter Participation
Although officially designated as non-partisan elections, the civic body polls witnessed strong political backing for major candidates. A total of 11 candidates contested for the prestigious Ranchi Municipal Corporation mayoral post. Voting across 1,087 wards in 48 urban local bodies throughout the state occurred on February 23, with 562 candidates competing for mayoral positions and 5,562 candidates vying for ward councillor posts.
The urban local bodies included 9 municipal corporations, 20 municipal councils, and 19 nagar parishads. In Ranchi specifically, the electoral landscape featured 1,027,791 eligible voters distributed across 53 wards, comprising 518,762 male voters, 508,973 female voters, and 56 third gender voters. Voter turnout in RMC reached 43.43% on election day.
Comparative Turnout in Other Municipalities
In contrast to Ranchi's participation rate, Bundu Nagar Panchayat recorded a significantly higher voter turnout of 74.07%. This municipality has 16,625 male voters and 8,168 female voters in its electoral roll. The varying participation rates across different urban local bodies highlight the diverse civic engagement patterns throughout Jharkhand's municipal elections.
The counting process continues as political observers closely monitor whether Rama Khalkho can maintain her newfound lead or if Roshni Khalkho might stage a comeback in subsequent rounds. The final outcome will determine who leads India's capital city of Jharkhand for the coming municipal term.
