In its 19-year history, Jharkhand has never voted for a single-party government. And, prevailing trends suggest that the state is unlikely to break the habit this time as well. Elections to the 81-member legislative assembly, which are being held in five phases, will be over on December 20. With the ruling BJP failing to keep its allies together, chances for a fractured mandate are high when the votes are counted on December 23.
The BJP has adopted a cautious approach after Maharashtra and Haryana threw up disappointing results. Its government led by Raghubar Das—Jharkhand’s first non-tribal chief minister—is the first in the state’s history to complete its five-year term. The party has set a target of winning at least 65 seats. However, even in 2014, during the peak of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity, the party failed to win an outright majority and had to rely on the support of the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), which had five MLAs. In 2009, the BJP had tied up with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha to form the government with Shibu Soren as chief minister and Das as his deputy. The JMM now leads the opposition in the state.
This story is from the December 22, 2019 edition of THE WEEK.
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This story is from the December 22, 2019 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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