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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 the 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 29.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren, contesting from Barhait, maintained a lead over the BJP's Gamliyel Hembrom. Other prominent INDIA bloc candidates also held significant leads. JMM's Ramsurya Munda in Khunti led over BJP's Neelkanth Singh Munda. JMM's Bebi Devi, a minister, was ahead in Dumri against the JKLM candidate. Congress heavyweight Rameshwar Oraon led in Lohardaga over AJSU Party's Niru Shanti Bhagat. However, Mr Soren's wife, Kalpana Soren, was trailing against BJP's Muniya Devi after the fourth round. Congress leader Banna Gupta trailed in Jamshedpur West against JDU's Saryu Roy, and JMM Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato faced stiff competition in Nala.
The RJD emerged as the surprise star of the elections, leading in five of the six seats it contested. This is a significant leap from 2019, when the party won just one seat, Chatra. Suresh Paswan in Deoghar led by a whopping 19,581 votes over BJP's sitting MLA Narayan Das. Sanjay Prasad Yadav in Godda had a commanding lead against BJP MLA Amit Kumar Mandal. In Koderma, Subhash Prasad Yadav, recently out on bail, led against BJP's Neera Yadav. RJD candidates also led in Bishrampur and Hussainabad.
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.