RANCHI, Jan. 28 -- The Jharkhand State Election Commission (SEC) on Tuesday announced that the much-awaited municipal elections to the 48 urban local bodies in the state including Ranchi Municipal Corporation would be held on February 23, while counting of votes would be done four days later on February 27. The civic polls in the state have not been held after 2018. While municipal polls are due from May 2020 in 14 ULBs, elections are due from April 2023 in the rest of the 34 local bodies. The dates were announced on Tuesday amidst an ongoing contempt petition being heard by the Jharkhand High Court that had earlier slammed the state government over the delay in conducting the local body polls. Addressing a press conference, state election commissioner Alka Tiwari said, "Voting for the 48 urban local bodies will be held on February 23 on non-party basis, while the votes would be counted on February 27. With announcement of the dates today, the model code of conduct would come into force with immediate effect in the jurisdictional limits across the 48 ULBs in the state." Besides holding the municipal election in the state on non-party basis this time round, the post of deputy mayor in the municipal corporations and deputy chairman in the municipal councils and the municipal panchayats would be decided through indirect election. They would be chosen by the municipal councillors and ward members, officials said. In 2018, when the civic polls were last held in Jharkhand, the state witnessed direct election for deputy mayor and deputy chairman as well. In a departure from the past, the civic polls this time round would also be held using ballot papers instead of EVMs. "All preparations for conducting voting through ballot papers and ballot boxes have been put in place," said Tiwari....