Jharkhand election date: The state of Jharkhand will go to polls in two phases, on November 13 and November 20, chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on Tuesday. The counting of votes will take place on November 23.
The current Jharkhand assembly's term will end on January 5, 2025. Besides Jharkhand, the Election Commission has also announced the poll date for Maharashtra. The state will go to polls in a single phase on November 20.
Earlier today, Congress announced that it would contest the Jharkhand assembly elections in alliance with the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, led by incumbent chief minister Hemant Soren. A final decision on seat sharing for the Jharkhand assembly election is expected soon.
| Date of polls for 1st phase | November 13 |
| Date of polls for 2nd phase | November 20 |
| Counting of votes | November 23 |
"We will contest elections with our alliance partners in the state. A final decision on the seat sharing will be done soon. We are confident of winning elections on the back of development works done by us," Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Keshav Mahto said.
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The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) also expressed confidence that its alliance would be voted back to power.
Jharkhand election: ‘Fully prepared,’ says BJP
{{/usCountry}} The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) also expressed confidence that its alliance would be voted back to power.
Jharkhand election: ‘Fully prepared,’ says BJP
{{/usCountry}} The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the other hand, has claimed that the JMM will face a crushing defeat.
BJP leader Pratul Shah Deo attacked the ruling JMM party, citing misrule, corruption, and misgovernance in its governance and claimed that Hemant Soren “will be the last prince of the Soren dynasty” after the polls.
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"We are fully prepared as the elections here were due and Assembly's term was ending on January 5, so the elections had to be held before that. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has panicked so much that it officially posted that it is a murder of democracy and they are holding elections before time," Deo told ANI.
In 2019, assembly elections to 81-member Jharkhand assembly were held from November 30 to December 20. The results were declared on December 23, with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance emerging as the winner with 47 seats. The BJP bagged 25 assembly seats. It emerged as the biggest party in the Lok Sabha by winning eight of the 14 seats this summer. The JMM won three, and ally Congress two Lok Sabha seats. The AJSU Party won the remaining Lok Sabha seat.
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The Maharashtra and Jharkhand polls will be the second major electoral exercise since the Lok Sabha polls. They will be held after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered an unexpected victory and returned to power in Haryana for a record third time. The polls in Haryana were held along with Jammu & Kashmir, where the National Conference-led alliance swept to power.