BJP v/s Congress alliance: Neck-n-neck fight in Jharkhand

Ranchi: The initial trends on Monday indicate that the ruling BJP and Congress alliance are in a neck and neck fight for the 81 Assembly seats in Jharkhand.

As per initial trends the BJP leading on 25 seats and Congress, JMM and RJD alliance are leading on 26 seats. The AJSU and JVM are leading on five and two seats, respectively.

Chief Minister Raghubar Das is leading from Jamshedpur East seat, while AJSU president Sudesh Mahto is leading from Silli seat and JVM-P president Babulkal Marandi is ahead on the Dhanwar seat.

The Alliance chief ministerial candidate Hemant Soren is leading from both the Dumka and Barhet assembly seat.

The counting of votes began at 8 a.m. in all the 24 district headquarters. The results were expected to emerge by afternoon.

The elections took place in five phases from November 30 to December 20.

The maximum rounds of counting will take place at Chatra with 28 rounds and the lowest will be two rounds in Chandankiyari and Taropa assembly seats.

The main contest is between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress-Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alliance.

All eyes will remain on the Jamshedpur East seat. Chief Minister Raghuvar Das has been winning from here since 1995. His ex-cabinet colleague Saryu Rai is in the fray against him.

Rai revolted after he did not get the ticket from the party (BJP) and decided to fight against the Chief Minister.

The BJP ran the government in alliance with the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU). However, the two contested the 2019 Jharkhand Assembly elections separately.