The Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition questioning the state government’s reservation policy for the posts of mayors in upcoming municipal elections, paving the way for polls to proceed as scheduled.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice MS Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar rejected the plea filed by one Shantanu Kumar Chandra, who had challenged the government’s decision to reserve the Giridih mayoral post for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates and keep the Dhanbad mayor post in the unreserved category.
The petitioner argued that the reservation policy was flawed and based on outdated population data from the 2011 Census, rendering it arbitrary and unjust. However, the bench found no merit in the plea and declined to interfere.
With this ruling, the path is now clear for the civic polls to be held on February 23. Counting will take place on February 27.
Key Details of the Election Schedule:
- Nomination period: January 29 to February 4
- Scrutiny of nominations: February 5
- Withdrawal deadline: February 6
- Symbol allotment: February 7
The Jharkhand State Election Commission has classified the state’s nine municipal corporations into two categories: Ranchi and Dhanbad in one, and Adityapur, Hazaribag, Deoghar, Giridih, Medininagar, Chas, and Phusro in the other.
Voter Statistics:
Over 43.33 lakh voters — including 21.26 lakh women — are eligible to vote across:
- 9 municipal corporations
- 20 nagar parishads
- 19 nagar panchayats
- Total 1,087 wards
The municipal polls are expected to be a significant democratic exercise ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, as urban issues and local governance remain key voter concerns in Jharkhand.
