Ranchi: The countdown for begun for Jharkhand Assembly election results. After a massive mandate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party also scripted history with absolute majority in Haryana Assembly elections and a also secured the mandate in Maharashtra.
If exit polls are to be believed, the BJP along with the All Jharkhand Students Union Party (AJSU) is all set to form the next government in Jharkhand.
The state, India's richest with over 40 per cent of the country's mineral wealth, has been plagued with numerous problems ever since it was carved out of on November 15, 2000. With nine government and three stints of President's Rule in the last 14 years, Jharkhand has been politically very unstable, development has taken a big hit while massive corruption and Naxal violence no longer raise eyebrows in the state.
With a record 66 per cent turnout in the month-long five phased elections, there are hopes that the state will finally have a fresh start. Jharkhand saw fractured mandates in both 2005 and 2009 assembly elections.
The key candidates are Chief Minister and JMM head Hemant Soren, former chief ministers Arjun Munda, Madhu Koda and Babulal Marandi. Other prominent candidates in the fray are Speaker Shashank Sekhar Bhokta, former Speaker CP Singh, AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahato, state BJP chief Raghuvar Das and all the ministers in the Hemant Soren cabinet, besides several sitting MLAs and former ministers.
The BJP, which contested in 72 seats, has a pre-poll alliance with the AJSU party which was in the fray in eight seats and Lok Janshakti Party in one seat. The ruling JMM contested in 79 seats while Congress contested in 62 seats in partnership with RJD (22) and the JDU (11).
The state has so far been ruled by five chief ministers - Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda (thrice), Shibu Soren (thrice), Madhu Koda (once) and Hemant Soren (incumbent). All of them have been from the tribal community which constitutes almost 26 per cent of the state's population.
Although several non-tribal leaders have been demanding that a non-tribal should become the chief minister, no party has come out in support of it openly. The term of Jharkhand Assembly ends on January 3.
In Jharkhand, BJP and JMM had won 18 seats each in the last election. Congress had 13, JVN(P) had 11, AJSU had six, RJD five snd JD(U) two.
Considering the security aspect in mind, elections in the Naxal-infested state were held in five phases. Voting took place on November 25, December 2, 9, 14 and 20.
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