Informist, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024

NEW DELHI – Exit polls on Wednesday predicted a close fight in elections to the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly. The pollsters predicted 25 to 59 seats for the incumbent Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance of the Congress, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Communist Party of India (ML) Liberation. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance may get 17 to 53 seats, the pollsters predicted.

Axis My India predicted a clear majority for the INDIA bloc, while Matrize and Peoples Pulse predicted a majority for the NDA. Dainik Bhaskar and P Marq predicted the possibility of a hung Assembly in the state. The majority mark in Jharkhand is 41.

Elections for the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly were held in two phases. The second and last phase of elections across 38 seats was held on Wednesday and the provisional voter turnout was over 67%. In the first phase, the voter turnout was over 66%. The counting will take place on Saturday.

The BJP alliance has made an aggressive pitch to secure tribal votes in the state. The saffron party propagated the narrative of infiltration by Bangladeshis in tribal areas. Tribal voters dominate the politics in Jharkhand, with 28 Assembly seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribe category. Apart from the infiltration pitch, the BJP has offered a slew of freebies, including a monthly INR 2,000 unemployment allowance, and free gas cylinders twice a year. It has also sought to tarnish Hemant Soren's image by underscoring charges of corruption. The BJP has also promised that it will exclude tribals from the scope of the Uniform Civil Code, which the saffron party has pledged to implement in Jharkhand.

The BJP contested elections in alliance with All Jharkhand Students Union, Janata Dal (United) and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).

Meanwhile, the INDIA alliance betted on two primary factors – Chief Minister Soren's image as a major tribal leader and the state government's Maiya Samman Yojna for women. According to political experts, women voters dominate 32 seats in the state. The alliance aggressively played up the Maiya Samman scheme to attract women voters. The alliance has also promised to increase the amount under the Maiya Samman scheme from INR 1,000 to INR 2,500 if it returns to power in the state.

In the 2019 polls, the JMM-led alliance had bagged 47 seats, with the JMM winning 30 seats, the Congress 16, and the RJD 1. The BJP had won 25 seats.

Below are the results of exit polls in Jharkhand:

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Reported by Kuldeep Singh

Edited by Avishek Dutta

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