Jharkhand Assembly Elections To Be Held In 2 Phases On November 13 & 20; Results To Be Announced On November 23 Along With Maharashtra

Jharkhand Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 13 & 20 and results will be declared on November 23 along with Maharashtra, announced the Election Commission of India in a press conference in New Delhi on October 15. The Jharkhand Assembly's term will end on January 5, 2025. 

Rajiv Kumar, the Chief Elections Commissioner, during the press conference, informed that there would be 29, 562 polling stations in Jharkhand spread across 20, 281 locations.

He further stated that the total number of electors in the state is 2.6 crore out of which 1.29 crore are female and 1.31 crore are male. In addition to this, there would be 11.84 lakh first-time voters.

(Courtesy: DD News 24X7)

In Jharkhand, the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), a key part of the opposition INDIA bloc, will be up against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The NDA in Jharkhand includes the BJP, All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) and Janata Dal (United). Both states are gearing up for high-stakes elections, with major political alliances vying for power.

Jharkhand's current coalition government, led by Hemant Soren, is the first non-BJP government to complete a full five-year term. 

Though Soren was temporarily removed from office for five months following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress-RJD alliance maintained its hold on power.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP-AJSU alliance, under Chief Minister Raghuvar Das, was expected to retain power, having governed the state for a full term. Confident of a second victory, the BJP coined the slogan "Abki Baar 65 Paar" (This time, over 65 seats).

However, the JMM-Congress-RJD coalition, led by Soren, secured 47 of the 81 Assembly seats in 2019, ousting the BJP-AJSU alliance, which faltered largely due to its failure in the tribal-dominated constituencies, winning only 25 seats, while AJSU managed only two.

BJP's special emphasis on tribal seats

This time, the BJP is putting special emphasis on tribal seats, which were a key factor in their previous defeat, particularly in the Kolhan and Santhal Pargana regions. 

For months, the party has aggressively campaigned on issues such as Bangladeshi infiltration, religious conversions, government corruption, and alleged failures of the Soren-led administration. In a bid to reclaim power, the BJP has roped in allies such as AJSU, JDU, and LJP.

Ruiling Soren govt focuses on populist schemes

The ruling JMM-Congress-RJD coalition is focusing on populist schemes like the 'Maiya Samman Yojana,' which provides financial aid to women, 200 units of free electricity, loan waivers for farmers, and early pensions for tribals and Dalits. The alliance is also working to include Left parties in its fold.

With both sides ramping up their campaigns, Jharkhand looks set for a tightly contested election.

Meanwhile, the Congress on Tuesday said it will contest the Jharkhand assembly elections in alliance with the JMM, with a final decision on seat sharing expected soon.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) also expressed confidence that its alliance would be voted back to power. 

However, it raised concerns on how Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma knew that the election dates would be announced on Tuesday.

Reacting to the JMM's allegations, the BJP claimed that the JMM was afraid of defeat in the upcoming elections. 

BJP says "seat sharing almost final"

The BJP also mentioned that the seat-sharing arrangement among NDA partners for the assembly elections was "almost final," with the first list of candidates to be announced within 48 hours of the polls being declared.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the JMM-led alliance will contest all 81 seats.