Ranchi, Dec 20 (IANS) About 1.3 million voters, or 66 percent of the electorate, voted in the fourth and penultimate phase of the panchayat polls in Jharkhand Monday.
The highest of 74 percent voting was recorded in Giridih district, an official said.
Voting was by and large peaceful in the 542 panchayats spread across 36 blocks in 12 districts. A total of 22,886 candidates were in the fray.
Maoists tried to disrupt the polling in some places. Security forces recovered six cylinder bombs buried under a road in Hunterganj in Chatra district, about 170 km away from here.
The five-phase panchayat elections began Nov 27.
The last panchayat elections in Jharkhand were held in 1979 when it was part of Bihar.
