The 2024 Jharkhand Legislative Assembly election was held in three phases from 13 to 20 November 2024 to elect all 81 members of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly. The counting of votes was done on 24 November 2024. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha won 34 seats, securing 23.44% of the popular vote and its alliance, Mahagathbandhan (INDIA Bloc) including the Congress, CPI(ML)L and RJD won 56 seats, securing 44.37% of the popular vote. The Bharatiya Janata Party won 21 seats, securing 33.18% of the popular vote and its alliance, NDA won 24 seats, securing 38.14% of the popular vote.
Background.
The tenure of 5th Jharkhand Assembly is scheduled to end on 5 January 2025. The previous assembly elections were held in November–December 2019. The coalition of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Indian National Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal formed the state government, with Hemant Soren becoming the Chief Minister.
Issues.
Alleged Bangladeshi Infiltration.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's campaign focused on religious polarisation and ran a high decibel campaign on claims of "infiltration" by Bangladeshis. The party pushed the narratives of love jihad and land jihad with the claim that "infiltrators" were marrying tribal women and taking over tribal lands causing fall in the tribal population. The campaign characterised Muslims as infiltrators.
A report by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes claims to have confirmed infiltration in the Santhal Pargana region, based on anecdotal evidence gathered from local residents. The report, submitted to the Home Ministry on September, 2024, but not made public, alleges a reduction in the Adivasi population over the past two decades, which attributes to infiltration. The Home Ministry, in a submission to the Jharkhand High Court on September 11, acknowledged a decrease in the tribal population since 1951 but attributed it to various factors, including migration, low birth rates, and religious conversions, without explicitly linking it to infiltration.
According to ground reports, even people who said they would vote BJP were skeptical of these claims, and it had caused apprehensions against the campaign particularly among tribals in the Kolhan region for reasons of impact on communal amity and being cast as part of the broader Hindu community. These claims were described as a bogey by civil society organisations which attempted to counter the narrative on the ground by bringing data to people that the fall in tribal population is not large and caused by factors like out-of-state migration of tribals for jobs.
Populist Schemes.
Election campaigns have focused heavily on populist welfare schemes. The JMM government’s Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana, which provides Rs 1,000 per month to women, was countered by the BJP's Gogo-Didi Yojana, promising Rs 2,100. In response, the JMM increased its scheme’s payout to Rs 2,500, effective December 2024. The BJP has also pledged subsidized LPG cylinders, monthly stipends for unemployed graduates and postgraduates, and extensive job creation programs.
State vs. Centre on Fund Allocation.
The JMM has accused the BJP-led Central government of withholding funds owed to the state, with Chief Minister Hemant Soren demanding the release of Rs 1.36 trillion in dues from coal companies. Soren has emphasized that the demand is for rightful state funds, not a special grant.
Corruption Allegations.
Corruption charges have taken center stage, with BJP leaders highlighting Soren’s alleged involvement in a land-related money laundering case. The JMM has countered these accusations by asserting that the BJP is targeting Soren unfairly because he is a tribal leader.
Tribal Vote Division and Internal Struggles.
The tribal vote, crucial in Jharkhand politics, may be affected by internal divisions within the JMM. Senior JMM leader Champai Soren’s defection to the BJP and his popularity in tribal areas could potentially split votes and weaken the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance.
Voting.
In the first phase of voting on November 13, 2024, electorates exercised their franchise across 43 Assembly constituencies spread over 15 districts contested by 638 candidates. The overall voting percentage was 66.65%. While 69.04% of women voters came out to press the EVM button, the percentage for men was 64.27% while just 31.02% of the third gender voted. In 37 of the 43 constituencies that voted in the first phase, the female voters had a higher turnout than males.
The maximum voting percentage was recorded in the Kharsawan Assembly with 77.32%. The next two seats were Baharagora (76.15%) and Lohardaga (73.21%). However, Ranchi saw the lowest polling with just 51.5% of the electorate participating in the election process.
The second phase on November 20 saw voting taking place in 38 Assembly seats. The number of candidates is 528. The polling percentage in 38 constituencies of Jharkhand was 68.45%.
Post-poll Surveys.
According to a Lokniti post-poll survey, the INDIA alliance’s Maiya Samman Scheme, which initially provided ₹1,000 and later increased to ₹2,500, garnered support from 47% of registered women voters, particularly in rural areas. In contrast, the BJP’s Gogo Didi Scheme, offering ₹2,100, found greater appeal among urban women voters. Overall, women showed stronger backing for the INDIA alliance (45%) compared to the BJP (38%), with rural women (48%) and tribal women (60%) favoring INDIA significantly. The BJP, however, performed better among urban and non-tribal women voters. A notable outcome was the BJP securing only one ST-reserved seat, reflecting tribal dissatisfaction attributed to issues such as changes in tenancy laws, messaging perceived as undermining tribal identity, and Hemant Soren’s incarceration. Women voter turnout was remarkably high at 70.46% (91.16 lakh), surpassing men’s turnout of 65% (85.64 lakh), with the gender gap widening compared to the previous Lok Sabha elections.
Results.
Results by alliance or party.
Party wise seats
 ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;   JMM
 (41.97%) ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;   BJP
 (25.92%) ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;   INC
 (19.75%) ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;  RJD (4.92%) ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;  CPI(ML)L (2.46%) ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;  AJSU (1.23%) ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;  JD(U) (1.23%) ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;  LJP(RV) (1.23%) ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;  JLKM (1.23%)
Alliance wise seats
 ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;  MGB (69.14%) ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;  NDA (29.63%) ;templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" / ;  JLKM (1.23%)
Reactions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his congratulations to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on its electoral victory, to which Chief Minister Hemant Soren responded with gratitude, thanking the Prime Minister for his wishes. Chief Minister Hemant Soren lauded the state's democratic engagement. Soren also expressed gratitude to the people for their overwhelming support and underscored the cultural and political vision encapsulated in the phrase "Abua Raj, Abua Sarkar" (our state, our government), which he asserted as a commitment to the ideals of self-reliance and local empowerment.
Following the Jharkhand Assembly election results, incidents of violence and vandalism come up, signaling the presence of deep political divides. A person named Imam Mirza in Mohammadpur village was alleged by the BJP to have been attacked by JMM workers for supporting BJP. In Barkagaon, the Congress candidate Amba Prasad alleged that her car came under attack from supporters of the newly elected BJP MLA Roshan Lal Choudhary after the result. Prasad showed images of her car with a bashed in windshield to support her assertion and questioned their motives.
References.
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