(L-R) BJP leader Champai Soren with Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren.
Credit: PTI Photo
The Jharkhand Assembly Elections are being held in two phases, wherein the first phase of polling was conducted on November 13 and the second phase is to be held on November 20. The results of will be declared on November 23.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is currently the single largest party in the 81 member assembly. The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance faced a few hiccups in its five-year-term as current Chief Minister Hemant Soren had to resign and was later arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.
Champai Soren was appointed chief minister on Feb 2 following Hemant's arrest.
He left the post on July 3, clearing the way for Hemant Soren to resume office on July 4 after being granted bail.
However, 67-year-old Champai Soren joined the BJP on August 30, two days after he resigned from the JMM citing "insult" and dissatisfaction with the party's current style of functioning and facing "bitter humiliation".
What happened in 2019 elections?
In 2019 assembly elections, the JMM-led alliance won 47 seats, snatching power from the BJP in the state. JMM had won 30 seats, while the Congress bagged 16, apart from the one seat bagged by the RJD.
The BJP had secured 25 seats, JVM-P three, AJSU Party two, and CPI-ML and NCP one each, besides two Independents emerging victorious.
The Assembly’s strength currently stands at 74, following several members’ transition to the Lok Sabha, resignations, and expulsions.
Approximately 2.60 crore electors, including 11.84 lakh first-time voters and 1.13 lakh persons with disabilities, third-gender individuals, and senior citizens over 85, are likely to exercise their franchise this time, compared to 2.23 crore in the 2019 assembly elections.
(With PTI inputs)
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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