The Jharkhand Assembly elections are scheduled for November 13 and 20, with results set to be announced on November 23 alongside those of Maharashtra. This was confirmed by the Election Commission of India during a press conference in New Delhi on October 15. The current term of the Jharkhand Assembly will conclude on January 5, 2025.
During the press conference, Chief Elections Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced that Jharkhand will have 29,562 polling stations distributed across 20,281 locations.
He also mentioned that Jharkhand has a total of 2.6 crore electors, with 1.29 crore female voters and 1.31 crore male voters. Additionally, there will be 11.84 lakh first-time voters in the state.
In Jharkhand, the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), part of the opposition INDIA bloc, will face off against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The NDA in Jharkhand comprises the BJP, All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), and Janata Dal (United). Both states are preparing for high-stakes elections, with significant political alliances competing for power.
Jharkhand’s current coalition government, headed by Hemant Soren, is notable for being the first non-BJP government in the state to complete a full five-year term.
Despite Hemant Soren’s temporary removal from office for five months due to his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress-RJD alliance successfully retained its grip 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.