Hemant Soren is back: BJP's 'infiltration' rhetoric falls flat as JMM-led bloc retains power in J'khand

We passed exam of democracy in Jharkhand, says Hemant Soren

- VINAY KUMAR

In the mineral-rich state of Jharkhand, the Chief Minister Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) alliance retained power for the second consecutive term on Saturday, winning 56 seats in the 81-member Assembly.

The BJP-led NDA failed with its aggressive infiltration pitch during the poll campaign, securing only 24 seats.

Chief Minister Soren described the alliance's stellar performance as "passing the exam of democracy."

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP co-incharge for the Assembly elections in Jharkhand, said the party's loss was deeply painful for him.

The BJP's poll plank focused on driving out "infiltrators" from the Santhal Parganas region, but it failed to make any impact against the 'Adivasi' card played by the JMM, which also leveraged Soren's imprisonment to gain the sympathy of voters.

According to the latest Election Commission figures, the JMM is either leading or has won in 34 of the 43 seats it contested, the Congress in 16 of the 30 seats where it fielded candidates, the RJD put up an impressive performance by winning four of the six seats it contested, while the CPI(ML) Liberation won two of the four seats it contested.

The coalition witnessed friendly fights in some constituencies.

The BJP won 21 of the 68 seats it contested, while the LJP (Ram Vilas) won the lone seat it fought for, and the JD(U) was ahead in one of the two seats it contested.

The AJSU Party faced a rout, retaining only one of the 10 seats it contested.

The majority mark in the Assembly is 41.