Hemant Soren-led alliance all set to retain Jharkhand; BJP emerges as second largest party

Hemant Soren-led alliance all set to retain Jharkhand; BJP emerges as second largest party

RANCHI: Hemant Soren’s JMM-led alliance was all set to retain Jharkhand as it was leading in at least 50 seats in the 81-member state assembly on Saturday, as per the Election Commission data.

The performance of the BJP-led NDA, which was seen as confident about its prospects in the state after an aggressive campaign, was poorer than its expectations. It was leading in 29 seats.

The BJP’s poll plank was driving out “infiltrators” from the Santha Parganas region, but it seemed to have fallen flat in front of the ‘Adivasi’ card played by the JMM, which also sought the people’s sympathy over the arrest of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.