Tue Oct 15 11:44:29 UTC 2024: ## Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024: Voting to be Held in Two Phases, Counting on November 23
**Ranchi, October 15:** The Election Commission of India today announced the schedule for the Jharkhand Assembly elections, slated to be held in two phases on November 13th and 20th. The counting of votes will take place on November 23rd.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, at a press conference, revealed that the Jharkhand Assembly’s term ends on January 5th, 2025. The state will see a total of 2.6 crore voters, including 11.84 lakh first-time voters, across 81 constituencies in 24 districts. There will be 29,562 polling booths set up, including over 1.14 lakh voters over the age of 85.
The last Jharkhand Assembly elections were held in five phases in 2019, resulting in a victory for the Mahagatbandhan, an alliance led by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), consisting of Congress, RJD, and Left parties.
The recent visit of the Election Commission team to Jharkhand saw consultations with various political parties. Leaders had requested the elections be held after November 15th, citing Diwali, Chhath Puja, and the state’s formation anniversary as reasons.
The current Jharkhand Assembly has 81 seats, with 41 required for a majority. In the 2019 elections, the JMM won 30 seats, BJP 25, Congress 16, JVM 3, AJSU 2, and others won 5.
The upcoming elections are expected to be particularly intense, with a potential showdown between Hemant Soren and his half-brother, Champai Soren, who recently joined the BJP.
Hemant Soren faced a corruption case earlier this year and was forced to resign as Chief Minister and face imprisonment. However, he was later released on bail and reclaimed his position from Champai Soren, who had served as Chief Minister for 156 days.
The BJP is focusing on securing a majority in the Santhal Pargana and Kolhan regions, which hold 32 seats. They had only managed to win 3 out of 18 seats in Santhal Pargana and none in Kolhan in the previous elections.
The upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections are poised to be a closely watched contest, with several high-stakes battles ahead.
First Piper 