jmm-led-alliance-set-to-retain-jharkhand-as-bjp-falls-short

Jharkhand's ruling JMM-led alliance, headed by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, was poised to retain control of the state assembly, leading in at least 50 of the 81 seats in Saturday's bypolls, according to the Election Commission. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA, which had entered the elections with high hopes after an aggressive campaign, was trailing behind expectations. The NDA was leading in 29 seats, a significant gap from the JMM alliance's strong showing.

The BJP's campaign, which focused on driving out "infiltrators" from the Santha Parganas region, struggled to gain traction against the JMM’s appeal to tribal voters, with the party also rallying public sympathy following Soren's arrest earlier this year.

As of the latest Election Commission data, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was leading in 31 seats, while its allies, Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), held 14 and four seats respectively.

The CPI(ML) Liberation was leading in one seat. The BJP, meanwhile, was ahead in 26 seats, while the AJSU Party, LJP (Ram Vilas), and JD(U) each led in one seat.

Soren was leading in his Barhait seat by more than 17,000 votes. However, his wife, Kalpana Soren, a key figure in revitalising the JMM after her husband’s arrest, was trailing in the Gandey seat.

BJP state president Babulal Marandi was leading in the Dhanwar seat, while former Chief Minister Champai Soren was nearing victory in Seraikela.

Opposition Leader Amar Kumar Bauri was trailing in the Chanadankiyari seat, and Congress Minister Banna Gupta was losing to JD(U)'s Saryu Roy in Jamshedpur West. 

In Ranchi, BJP's CP Singh was leading against JMM’s Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Majhi, while AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto was trailing in Silli.

The RJD, led by Lalu Prasad, showed significant gains, leading in four of the six seats it contested. In 2019, the party had only managed to win the Chatra seat. 

A total of 1,211 candidates contested the elections, which saw a voter turnout of 67.74 per cent, the highest since the state’s formation in 2000.

The elections were held in two phases: November 13 and 20. Forty-three seats went to the polls in the first round, and 38 in the second.

The final vote count is expected to conclude by 4 p.m., according to Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar.