The INDIA bloc – consisting of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Congress, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal – has crossed the majority mark in the Assembly election in that state.

The BJP took an early lead after counting of votes began at 8 am, but Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s JMM, which expressed confidence it would form the government again, fought back slowly and steadily. At 10.30 am INDIA was ahead in 51 of the state’s 81 seats. The NDA was ahead in 28.

The majority mark in the Jharkhand Assembly is 41. The first phase of voting, on November 13, was in 43 constituencies, while the second phase saw 38 seats vote a week later.

Exit polls pointed to a narrow race with varying predictions. According to Matrize, the NDA was expected to win 42-47 seats, leaving the JMM-led alliance with 25-30 seats. Meanwhile, the TimesNow-JVC survey forecasted 40-44 seats for the NDA, with the INDIA bloc securing 30-40 seats.

The most definitive projections come from People’s Pulse, which predicted a clear win for the NDA, with 42-48 seats compared to the JMM’s 16-23 seats.

However, Axis My India and P Marq offered a contrasting view, giving the JMM-led INDIA bloc a commanding 49-59 and 37-47 seats respectively, while the NDA was projected to fall far behind.

The only agency that forecasted a hung assembly was Dainik Bhaskar, suggesting that both alliances would have to settle between 36-40 seats, just short of the majority mark of 41.

Despite exit polls having given the NDA the edge, the JMM was confident of forming government again under the leadership of Hemant Soren, with a two-thirds majority. The JMM had claimed that the BJP would even struggle to make a mark in 11 of the state’s 24 districts.

“After the counting of votes on November 23, our government will return with a new mandate and with a focus on public good,” JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said.

Key constituencies under scrutiny include Barhait, where Hemant Soren faces a tough battle. BJP’s Babulal Marandi will also be contesting from Dhanwar. Bebi Devi (INDIA bloc) is a contender in Dumri while Kalpana Soren (JMM), Hemant Soren’s wife, represents Gande. In Jamtara, Congress leader Dr Irfan Ansari faces off against Sita Soren of the JMM, making it one of the most anticipated contests.

The counting of votes for the Jharkhand assembly elections is underway with the latest trends showing the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led alliance leading over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies. The JMM of Chief Minister Hemant Soren fought in 41 assembly seats in the 81-seat assembly and gave the remaining ones to its allies – Congress (30 seats), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) (6), and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (4). The BJP contested 68 seats, while its allies, the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) fought in 10, the Janata Dal (United) in two, and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) in one.

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Jharkhand voted in two phases – November 13 for 43 seats and November 20 for 38 seats – and witnessed an overall voter turnout of 67.74 per cent, which was 1.65 per cent higher than the 2019 poll figures.

If exit polls are to be believed, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is likely to win 42-47 seats, while the JMM-led INDIA bloc may get 25-30 seats.

Votes are also being counted for the Maharashtra assembly elections and for the bypolls to 48 Assembly seats in 14 states and in the Lok Sabha segments of Nanded in Maharashtra and Wayanad in Kerala. Congress’ Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is making her poll debut from Wayanad, a seat that was earlier represented in the Lok Sabha by her brother, Rahul Gandhi.

Here Are Live Updates On Jharkhand Assembly Election Results 2024:

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