Congress-JMM alliance gets majority in Jharkhand

Ranchi, December 23

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The JMM-led three-party alliance in Jharkhand on Monday obtained majority in the 81- member Jharkhand assembly, Election Commission said.

Of the results declared for 75 seats till 10 pm, JMM has won 29 and ally Congress 15 seats. The BJP has won 22 seats and was leading on 3.

Chief Minister Raghubar Das was trailing BJP rebel candidate and former minister Saryu Rai in Jamshedpur (East) constituency. Rai is in the fray as an Independent candidate. Das has represented the seat five times since 1995.

The JMM and the Congress-RJD combine had contested the 2014 Assembly election separately. The three parties were, however, part of the coalition government led by JMM leader Hemant Soren from 2013 to 2014 before the election took place. They parted ways over seat-sharing arrangements and the JMM chose to contest alone.

The BJP, on the other hand, is contesting the Assembly poll all by itself for the first time since the creation of Jharkhand in 2000, having always gone to the hustings with the AJSU party. The two parties failed to iron out their differences on the number of seats each would contest this time.

A party or a coalition of parties needs 41 seats for a simple majority in the House of 81.

Hemant Soren, the leader of the opposition alliance, is ahead of his rivals on both Barhait and Dumka seats.

The BJP’s Bihar allies–the JD (U) and LJP–contested the election on their own and none of their candidates was leading anywhere.

The BJP contested 79 seats, supported an Independent candidate in one place and did not put up nominee against AJSU Party president Sudesh Mahto.

Under a pre-poll arrangement, the JMM had the lion’s share of 43 seats, while the Congress fielded nominees in 31 constituencies and Lalu Prasad’s RJD in seven.

The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) contested all the 81 seats.

Cong workers burst crackers, distribute sweets

New Delhi: Christmas seemed to have come early at the Congress headquarters here on Monday with party workers bursting crackers and distributing sweets as trends for the Jharkhand Assembly election showed the Congress-JMM alliance ahead of the ruling BJP.

“People have voted for change,” Congress spokesperson Pranav Jha told reporters at the Congress office, anticipating a victory for the opposition alliance. PTI