Jharkhand Mukti Morcha achieved an overwhelming majority.
In Jharkhand, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance retained power in the assembly elections by registering a landslide victory with 56 seats. The JMM-led alliance won 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had to be content with just 24 seats.
Let us tell you that 41 seats are required for majority in Jharkhand Assembly. The BJP won 21 seats and emerged as the second largest party in the state. JMM contested 43 seats and won 34 seats, which is the highest number of seats won by the party so far. Congress won 16 seats, RJD won four and CPI(ML) won two seats.
Wave of sympathy among tribal voters
According to election analysts, both Hemant Soren and his wife Kalpana managed to create a wave of sympathy among the tribal voters and despite the anti-ruler sentiment, the BJP failed to capitalize on it. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday expressed gratitude to the people of the state for the excellent performance of the Indian Alliance in the assembly elections and said the party has succeeded in the test of democracy. He said: I express my gratitude to the people for this wonderful performance.
Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed regret
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) co-incharge for the Jharkhand assembly elections and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the party’s defeat in the state is very sad for him. Sarma said the defeat in Jharkhand is very sad for me personally, even though we have won all the five seats in the by-elections in Assam.
RJD also performed surprisingly and won four out of six seats. While the CPI (ML) won two out of four seats. LJP (Ram Vilas) won its only seat and JDU won one of the two seats. The entire party Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) won a seat in Mandu by a narrow margin of just 231 votes. Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren defeated BJP’s Muniya Devi by a margin of 17,142 votes against Gandey. BJP state president Babulal Marandi won the Dhanwar seat by 35,438 votes and former chief minister Champai Soren won the Seraikela seat by 20,447 votes.
Main winning candidates
Hemant Soren – The Jharkhand Chief Minister increased his victory margin in the Barhait seat compared to the last assembly elections. This time Soren defeated BJP candidate Gamaliel Hembram by a margin of 39,791 votes.
Kalpana Soren – Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s wife and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate Kalpana Soren defeated BJP’s Muniya Devi by 17,142 votes from the Gandey seat.
Champai Soren – The former Jharkhand Chief Minister, who took charge of the state after the arrest of Hemant Soren, won the Seraikela seat on a BJP ticket by a margin of 20,447 votes. This is the only seat reserved for Scheduled Tribes, which the BJP won in this assembly election.
Nisat Alam – Nisat Alam, wife of former Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam, won the Pakur seat by a maximum margin of 86,029 votes.
Main losing candidates
Sudesh Mahato – AJSU party chief Sudesh Mahato lost the Silli seat to JMM candidate Amit Kumar by 23,867 votes. His party contested 10 seats and won only one, also by a narrow margin of 231 votes.
Amar Bauri – Opposition leader Amar Bauri came third in the Chandankiyari seat of Bokaro district. JMM candidate Umakant Rajak won the seat by defeating JLKM’s Arjun Rajwar by a margin of 33,733 votes.
Banna Gupta – Banna Gupta, Congress leader and Health Minister in the outgoing government, lost the Jamshedpur West seat to leader Saryu Rai by 7,863 votes. Rai had contested these elections on the JDU ticket.
Biranchi Narayan – Biranchi Narayan, who was the BJP’s chief whip in the last assembly, lost the Bokaro seat to Congress candidate Shweta Singh by 7,207 votes. He was a two-time MLA and in this election he campaigned on the issue of development.
