Election results: State too will have a BJP govt, many possible CMs

With Munda’s defeat, the race within the BJP for the CM’s post has been thrown open.

3 min readRanchiDec 24, 2014 01:46 PM IST First published on: Dec 24, 2014 at 03:55 AM IST

Jharkhand elections, Jharkhand election results, Hemant Soren Jharkhand,

Jharkhand elections: Hemant Soren.

While falling short of its expectations, the BJP managed to secure a majority with the help of its ally, AJSU Party, in Jharkhand on Tuesday, winning one more than the 41 seats required to form a government in the 81-member House.

Promising a “stable government” in Jharkhand for the first time since it was formed in November 2000, and riding a Modi wave, the BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 37 seats, an increase of 19 from its 2009 tally. The AJSU got five seats.

But the BJP, which will look to add to its numbers given its uncomfortably slim majority, suffered a setback in the defeat of Arjun Munda, its most important leader in the state and a three-time chief minister. Tipped to become CM again, Munda lost to the JMM’s Dashrath Gagrai from Kharsawan by 11,966 votes.

With Munda’s defeat, the race within the BJP for the CM’s post has been thrown open. While Raghubar Das, a former deputy CM and a national vice president of the BJP, has emerged as the early frontrunner, there are many other names doing the rounds too.

AJSU chief Sudesh Mahto, a former deputy CM, was also defeated. Contesting from a seat considered a party stronghold, Silli, he lost by 29,740 votes.

The fall of big names was the prominent theme of the day. Besides outgoing CM Hemant Soren, only one minister from his cabinet, Jai Prakash Bhai Patel, will be returning to the state’s fourth Legislative Assembly; nine of their colleagues as well as the Speaker lost.

Former CM Madhu Kora, whose result from Majhgaon was the first to be declared in the state, lost while wife and sitting Jaganathpur legislator Geeta Kora won. The state’s first CM, Babulal Marandi, lost from both the constituencies he contested from, Dhanwar and Giridih. In Giridih, Marandi came third, with the seat going to Nirmal Kumar Shahbadi, the sitting legislator who had defected from Marandi’s Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) to contest on a BJP ticket.

As it looks for numbers to ensure a safer position, one of the BJP’s first choices is likely to be Marandi, a former RSS man. However, he could insist on the CM’s post for himself.

The BJP could also look for support from the BSP’s first and only winner from the state, from Hussainabad, or try and convince Madhu Kora and former minister Bhanu Pratap Shahi’s parties, each of whom won just one seat, for a merger.

Despite losing power, the JMM has increased its 2009 tally of 18 by a seat. Outgoing CM Hemant Soren won in Barhait against former JMM leader and BJP candidate Hemlal Murmu but lost Dumka to the BJP’s Lois Marandi. Soren submitted his resignation to Governor Syed Ahmed shortly after 9 pm, and was asked to continue in a caretaker position till a new government is in place.

The BJP’s gains seemed to primarily come from the losses suffered by the Congress, JVM-P and RJD. While the Congress slipped from 14 seats in 2009 to six, Marandi’s JVM-P came down to 8 from 11. The RJD drew a blank; it had five legislators.