Jharkhand: As Election Commission of India was counting votes for Jharkhand assembly polls on November 23, ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led alliance was declared winner in 13 assembly constituencies, while its alliance partners – Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) and Congress won one seat each.
Chief minister Hemant Soren won from Barhait by a margin of over seat by 39,791 votes, and his nearest rival in the constituency was BJP’s Gamliyel Hembrom.
Meanwhile, Kalpana Soren has won from Gandey constituency by a margin of over 13,000 votes, showed the details on Election Commission of India website.
The state held elections in two phases on November 13 and 20, for all 81 assembly seats. Jharkhand witnessed a voter turnout of 67.74 percent across both phases, with the second phase seeing a turnout of 68.95 percent.
Prominent candidates include chief minister Hemant Soren, BJP’s Babulal Marandi, and AJSU’s Sudesh Mahto. Marandi has predicted over 51 seats for the NDA, while Congress leader and Jharkhand incharge Ghulam Ahmad Mir has said the JMM alliance will win over 50 percent of seats.
Jharkhand’s political landscape has seen many twists and turns in recent times. Chief minister Hemant Soren’s resignation, followed by his time in jail, led to Champai Soren temporarily taking over. In a surprising move, once he was released, Champai Soren joined the BJP, the largest opposition party in the state.
In the 2019 assembly elections, despite a strong Modi wave, the BJP suffered a major setback, securing only 25 seats. In contrast, the JMM-Congress alliance secured a decisive victory, forming the majority government. This shift marked a turning point in the state’s political dynamics.
The grand old party has appointed observers including Tariq Anwar, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Krishna Allavuru for Jharkhand to oversee the post-election scenarios.
