Sun Nov 24 09:25:10 UTC 2024: ## JMM-led Coalition Sweeps Jharkhand Assembly Elections, BJP Suffers Major Setback

**Ranchi, Jharkhand –** The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led Mahaghatbandhan coalition secured a resounding victory in the 2024 Jharkhand Assembly elections, winning a commanding 56 out of 81 seats. Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s JMM secured 34 seats, while Congress won 16, RJD 4, and CPI-ML 2. The BJP-led NDA secured only 24 seats, a significant drop from their previous performance.

The victory marks a second consecutive term for the JMM-led government and is seen as a rejection of the BJP’s campaign strategy, which focused heavily on allegations of Bangladeshi infiltration and criticized the incumbent government’s performance. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who spearheaded the BJP’s campaign in Jharkhand, acknowledged the defeat as “deeply painful,” despite the BJP’s success in recent Assam by-elections. He attributed the loss in Jharkhand to the voters’ mandate and promised support for the party’s workers.

Congress leader Rajesh Thakur attributed the BJP’s defeat to the people of Jharkhand actively choosing to sideline the party. Conversely, BJP president Babulal Marandi acknowledged the results, congratulating Hemant Soren while citing concerns about a decrease in the tribal population, partly attributed to the issuance of government-issued IDs. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari dismissed opposition claims of EVM manipulation, highlighting the same machines’ use in Jharkhand where the opposition alliance triumphed.

Despite the overall victory, four ministers in Hemant Soren’s cabinet lost their seats, including Health Minister Banna Gupta and Water Resources Minister Mithilesh Thakur. However, the success of the coalition’s popular “Maiyan Samman Yojna,” which provides financial assistance to women, is widely considered a contributing factor to their win. The RJD also performed unexpectedly well, winning four seats.

The election results are being interpreted as a strong endorsement of Hemant Soren’s leadership and the coalition’s policies, particularly their focus on social welfare schemes. The BJP’s failure to capitalize on their campaign themes underscores the limitations of focusing solely on divisive narratives in a state with diverse needs and priorities. The JMM-led coalition now prepares to form the government for another five years.

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