Hemant Soren's Return Confirmed in Jharkhand; INDIA Alliance Crosses Majority Mark

In the Jharkhand Assembly elections, the INDIA alliance, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, has made a strong comeback. In the 81-seat assembly, a majority requires 41 seats, and the alliance has surpassed this mark.

According to the Election Commission, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has won or is leading in 34 seats. Its allies, the Congress, have secured 16 seats, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is poised to win 4 seats.

The commission has declared results for 63 out of 81 seats. Of these, 28 seats have gone to JMM, 11 to Congress, 3 to RJD, 2 to CPI (ML), and 1 to AJSU. Meanwhile, BJP has won 16 seats, and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Jharkhand Democratic Revolutionary Front have each secured one seat.

On the Barhait seat, Chief Minister Hemant Soren defeated his nearest rival, BJP's Gamaliel Hembrom, by about 39,000 votes, securing 95,612 votes against Hembrom’s 55,821. In Giridih's Gandey constituency, Soren's wife Kalpana Soren defeated BJP’s Munia Devi by over 13,000 votes. However, former Chief Minister Champai Soren, who shifted from JMM to BJP, defeated JMM’s Ganesh Mahli in Saraikela.

Despite winning the most seats, JMM trails BJP in vote share. BJP received 32.20% of the votes, while JMM secured 23.49%. Congress is third with 15.45%, followed by RJD at 3.46%, CPI (ML) at 1.86%, JD(U) at 0.80%, and Lok Janshakti Party (Paswan) at 0.61%.

This election saw a heated campaign. BJP targeted Hemant Soren and his wife Kalpana Soren, using terms like "Bunty and Babli." Additionally, Hemant was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on January 31 in connection with an alleged land scam. However, after the election announcement, the couple held nearly 200 rallies across the state, successfully mobilizing public support. This victory also highlights Soren's stronghold over the tribal community, which accounts for 28 reserved tribal seats. In 2019, JMM won 26 of these seats, and similar trends are evident this time.

The INDIA alliance, especially JMM, appears to have gained significant support from women voters. The government had launched the *Maiyaan Samman Nidhi Yojana*, under which women aged 18 to 50 receive ₹1,000 monthly. In 31 constituencies, women voters outnumbered men, with higher female voter turnout. After Hemant’s arrest, Kalpana Soren specifically targeted women in her campaigns, building an emotional connection with them, which played a crucial role in JMM's success.