Ranchi | JMM candidate Umakant Rajak won the Chandankiyari seat in Jharkhand's Bokaro district on Saturday by a margin of 33,733 votes, according to the Election Commission.
Arjun Rajwar of the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha was runner-up in the seat, while Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri of the BJP came third.
Rajak bagged 90,027 votes, while Rajwar secured 56,294 votes. Bauri managed 56,091 votes.
In the 2019 assembly polls, Bauri defeated Rajak, who contested the seat on an AJSU Party ticket.
Rajak switched to JMM ahead of this election after the Chandankiyari seat went to the BJP as per the seat-sharing arrangement within the NDA.
Ranchi | CPI(ML) Liberation's Chandradeo Mahato on Saturday won the Sindri assembly seat in Jharkhand, defeating BJP's Tara Devi by a margin of 3,448 votes, the Election Commission said.
Mahato polled 1,05,136 votes while Devi secured 1,01,688.
Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) candidate Usha Devi secured third position with 42,664 votes.
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.
According to the latest EC figures, the JMM was leading in 31 seats, the Congress in 14, the RJD in four and the CPI(ML) Liberation in one.
The BJP was leading in 26 seats, while the AJSU Party, LJP (Ram Vilas) and JD(U) were ahead in one seat each.
The chief minister was leading in the Barhait seat by over 17,000 votes, but his wife Kalpana Soren, credited with revitalising the JMM after the arrest of her husband, was trailing in the Gandey seat.
State BJP president Babulal Marandi was leading in the Dhanwar seat, former CM Champai Soren was nearing victory in Seraikela and Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri was trailing in the Chanadankiyari seat.
Congress minister Banna Gupta was trailing to JDU's Saryu Roy in the Jamshedpur West seat. In Ranchi, CP Singh of BJP was leading against JMM's Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Majhi.
AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto was trailing in Silli.
The Lalu Prasad-led RJD was leading in four of the six seats it contested. In 2019, the RJD had secured only the Chatra seat where its nominee Satyanand Bhokta won.
A total of 1,211 candidates were in the fray in the elections.
Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said the counting of votes is likely to be completed by 4 pm.
The elections recorded a voter turnout of 67.74 per cent, the highest since the formation of the state in 2000.
The assembly elections were held in two phases - November 13 and 20. Forty-three seats went to the polls in the first round and 38 in the second.
Ranchi | Call it a charismatic show by the power couple—Hemant Soren and Kalpana Soren—whom the BJP had dubbed as 'Bunty aur Babli,' Jharkhand's JMM is on track to secure a second consecutive term as part of the INDIA bloc.
Both Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his wife, legislator Kalpana Soren, who entered politics after her husband's arrest earlier this year, held nearly 200 election rallies after elections were announced.
Loyal party workers have already begun celebrations, bursting crackers and distributing sweets, even though the Election Commission has yet to announce the results.
According to Election Commission, JMM was leading in 31 out of the 43 seats it contested at 1.30 pm.
This performance is notable given the challenges faced by the party. Two of its legislators, Nalin Soren and Joba Majhi, contested the Lok Sabha elections and won. Additionally, prominent figures such as Sita Soren, Champai Soren, and Lobin Hembrom switched allegiance to the BJP.
The power couple was seen relaxing on Thursday after the polls, playing with their dogs, pictures shared by Hemant Soren on X showed.
If JMM returns to power in Jharkhand, it will signify the deepened influence of the Sorens among the tribal communities, as they successfully mobilised tribal sentiments following Hemant Soren's arrest on January 31 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.
Both Hemant and Kalpana managed to create a wave of sympathy among the tribal electorate, and despite the anti-incumbency sentiment, the BJP failed to capitalise on this and form a government, according to poll analysts.
In Barhait assembly constituency, Soren is leading with a margin of 17,347 votes over BJP's Gamliyel Hembrom. However, his wife Kalpana, who is credited with revitalising the JMM, was trailing by 5,362 votes against BJP's Muniya Devi after the ninth round of counting.
A JMM worker mentioned that Kalpana was referred to as the "helicopter madam" in Gandey, a term used by the BJP to suggest that she was an outsider, as she isn't a local resident, unlike Muniya Devi. However, the worker added, "Kalpana may close the gap in the coming rounds." Hemant Soren was released from jail on June 28 after being granted bail by the high court. On July 3, he was elected as the JMM's legislature party leader. Champai Soren then submitted his resignation to the governor, clearing the path for Hemant Soren to be sworn in as chief minister for a third term.
The JMM's campaign focused on promises of welfare schemes and accusations against the BJP-led Centre for using the ED and CBI as tools against rival parties. Hemant Soren also accused the BJP of spending over Rs 500 crore on "malicious campaigns" against him.
Top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP President JP Nadda, and chief ministers of several states, addressed extensive rallies, attacking the JMM-led coalition over allegations of corruption and infiltration. They also targeted Soren, who had spent five months in jail in connection with the money-laundering case.
A key plank of the BJP's campaign was the removal of Champai Soren as chief minister shortly after Hemant Soren's release on bail in June. The BJP framed this as an issue of how a tribal leader had been insulted by the JMM-led coalition.
Mumbai/Ranchi | Maharashtra was coloured a vivid saffron on Saturday with voters giving the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance a landslide win over a tottering MVA while the opposition INDIA bloc looked set to return to power in Jharkhand.
As votes were counted for the assembly elections in the two states, it was time for celebration in the BJP with the party poised to win 125 of the 149 seats it contested in the powerhouse state of Maharashtra. Together with its partners Shiv Sena and NCP, the ruling Mahayuti alliance could win 219 of the 288 seats in the state, leaving the Congress-Shiv Sena(UBT)-NCP(SP) tie-up with just 51 seats.
As the opposition reeled under the impact of the decisive mandate against it in Maharashtra, Jharkhand offered some consolation with voters in both states going for continuity rather than change.
In the 81-seat Jharkhand assembly, the BJP was ahead in 27 seats, while the Chief Minister Hemant Soren-led JMM was leading in 30 seats, the Congress in 14, the RJD in four and the CPI-ML in one, according to the Election Commission website.
"We are going to get the reward for the work we did... and also for the manner in which we remained connected to the public. What can be seen in trends, we can say that we are going to form the govt again and the fulfil the promises we made," Congress leader Rajesh Thakur told PTI Videos as the INDIA bloc neared victory in Jharkhand.
“I thank everybody for this victory. We have such a big victory because of the work Mahayuti did. Very grateful,” Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde told reporters while his alliance colleagues attributed the stunning win to welfare schemes such as the Laadli Behna scheme.
His son and Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde said the mandate shows who is taking Balasaheb Thackeray's ideals forward, pointing to the fractured legacy of the Shiv Sena founder whose son Uddhav heads the Shiv Sena (UBT).
As the Mahayuti walked the road towards power in a result that went ahead of what exit polls had predicted, on the other side of the spectrum was Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut who alleged that there was a "big conspiracy" and something was "fishy".
"I see a big conspiracy in this...This is not a mandate of Marathi 'manoos' and farmers. We do not accept this as people's mandate,” he said.
Adding that there was little doubt in his mind that money was used in the polls, Raut said, "How can all MLAs of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde win? How can Ajit Pawar, whose betrayal angered Maharashtra, win?" Voters in the politically significant western state, which sends 48 MPs to the Lok Sabha and gave the MVA a decisive 30 seats, clearly decided to go against the trend of that parliamentary victory just five months ago.
Their mandate gives a fillip for the BJP, which won an unprecedented hat-trick in Haryana last month, and helps the party overcome some of its reverses in the general elections where it bagged just 240 seats.
The Maharashtra verdict -- which gives primacy to the BJP within the Mahayuti alliance and opens up the possibility of a shift in power with Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister again - was the stuff of sober introspection too for the Congress and Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar.
The BJP was ahead in 125 seats, close to the halfway mark of 144 on its own, while the Shiv Sena had leads in 56 and the NCP in 35. In contrast, the Congress was ahead in just 21, the Shiv Sena(UBT) in 17 and the NCP(SP) in 13.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Shinde and his deputies Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were leading in their respective assembly constituencies. Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole was leading narrowly from Sakoli constituency and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and sitting MLA Aaditya Thackeray was leading in Worli assembly seat.
BJP MLC Darekar said, "Based on the current trends, I believe the BJP will be the single largest party and Devendra Fadnavis should become the chief minister.” The Congress, for which Priyanka Gandhi's win the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll is the proverbial silver lining in a dark cloud, counted its reverses in Maharashtra. Its legislature party leader and former minister Balasaheb Thorat was trailing in Sangamner as was senior Congress leader and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan in the Karad South assembly seat.
“It's devastating, heartbreaking for us ... The BJP is leading due to the amazing ground work they must've done and seat distribution," Congress spokesperson Lavanya Ballal told deKoder.
In the ruling Mahayuti alliance, the BJP contested 149 assembly seats, the Shiv Sena 81 seats, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP in 59 constituencies. In the MVA combine, the Congress fielded 101 candidates, Shiv Sena(UBT) 95 and the NCP(SP) 86.
The results will decide the electoral fate of 1,211 candidates in Jharkhand, including Soren, his wife Kalpana from Gandey, former CM and BJP state president Babulal Marandi from Dhanwar and ex-CM Champai Soren from Seraikela.
Other prominent candidates include Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato of the JMM from Nala, Deepika Pandey Singh of Congress from Mahagama, Sita Soren (sister-in-law of CM Hemant Soren) from Jamtara, AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto from Silli.
Ranchi | Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday extended his lead to 12,818 votes over BJP's Gamliyel Hembrom in the Barhait assembly constituency, according to the trends available on Election Commission's website.
In 2019, Soren contested two seats -- Barhait and Dumka -- and won both by a margin of 25,740 and 13,188 respectively.
Later, he vacated Dumka seat from where his brother Basant Soren got elected in the bypoll.
Soren had to resign as the CM shortly before his arrest on January 31 this year by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.
He was released from jail on June 28 after being granted bail by the high court.
On July 3, he was elected as the JMM's legislature party leader.
Champai Soren subsequently submitted his resignation as the CM to the governor, paving the way for Hemant Soren to be sworn in as chief minister for a third time.
CM Soren's wife Kalpana was trailing in Gandey assembly seat by 3,621 votes against her nearest BJP rival Muniya Devi after the fifth round of counting, according to the Election Commission.
Kalpana had won the seat in a bypoll on June 4 this year after it fell vacant following the resignation of JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad.
She had defeated BJP's Dilip Kumar Verma by a margin of 27,149 votes.
Kalpana had embarked on a political journey during the 51st foundation day celebration of JMM in Giridih district on March 4 this year.
Jharkhand BJP chief Babulal Marandi was leading by 10,607 votes over CPI(ML)'s Rajkumar Yadav in Dhanwar assembly seat after the fifth round of counting, according to the Election Commission of India.
Marandi won the Dhanwar seat in the 2019 assembly polls as a Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) candidate by defeating BJP's Lakshman Prasad Singh by a margin of 17,550 votes.
Later, he joined the BJP.
The JMM, Congress, RJD and CPI (ML) Liberation are jointly contesting Jharkhand polls under the INDIA bloc.
Ranchi | JMM-led INDIA bloc was leading in 50 of the 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand while the NDA was ahead in 30, according to trends available on the Election Commission's website on Saturday.
Counting of votes began at 8 AM.
According to trends, INDIA bloc was leading in 50 seats — JMM 30, Congress 14 and allies 6 — and NDA in 30 till noon.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren was leading in the Barhait assembly constituency by a margin of 8,202 votes over BJP's Gamliyel Hembrom after the third round of counting.
JMM legislator and wife of Jharkhand CM Kalpana Soren was trailing by 3,019 votes against BJP's Muniya Devi after fourth round.
BJP state chief Babulal Marandi was leading by 8,720 votes over CPIML's Rajkumar Yadav after second round of counting.
Former CM and BJP nominee Champai Soren was leading by 8,542 votes in Seraikela against JMM's Ganesh Mahli after third round.
Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri of BJP was trailing by 12,301 votes in Chanadankiyari seat against JMM's Umakant Rajak after fifth round of counting.
Congress Minister Banna Gupta was trailing by a margin of 12,139 votes against JDU's Saryu Roy in Jamshedpur West seat.
NDA ally AJSU Party supremo Sudesh Mahto was trailing by 6,704 votes over JMM's Amit Kumar in Silli.
In Jaganathpur, former MP and BJP nominee Geeta Kora was trailing by 4,236 votes against Congress' Sonaram Sinku after fourth round of counting.
JMM's Ramsurya Munda in Khunti was leading by 12,619 votes over BJP's Neelkanth Singh Munda.
Congress minister Rameshwar Oraon was ahead in Lohardaga by 5,068 votes over AJSU Party's Niru Shanti Bhagat after the fifth round of counting.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) emerged as a surprise element in the elections with its candidates leading in five of the six seats where it contested.
In 2019, RJD had secured only the Chatra seat where its nominee Satyanand Bhokta won.
In Deoghar, RJD's Suresh Paswan was leading by 19,581 votes over his nearest rival and BJP sitting MLA Narayan Das after the third round of counting.
RJD's Sanjay Prasad Yadav was ahead by 19,867 votes in Godda over BJP MLA Amit Kumar Mandal after the sixth round of counting.
In Koderma, RJD nominee Subhash Prasad Yadav, who was out on bail, was leading by a margin of 3,471 votes over BJP's sitting legislator Neera Yadav.
Subhas Prasad Yadav, considered to be one of the close aides of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court in a money laundering case.
Party's Naresh Prasad Singh was leading by 5,159 votes after the fourth round of counting over BJP's Bishrampur MLA Ramchandra Chandravanshi.
RJD's Sanjay Kumar Singh Yadav was also leading from Hussainabad by 8,213 votes after the fourth round of counting over BJP MLA Kamlesh Kumar Singh.
Party's candidate Rashmi Prakash, however, was trailing in Chatra by 3,776 votes.
Bhokta did not contest the elections this time, and his daughter-in-law Prakash was given a ticket.
The results will decide the electoral fate of a total of 1,211 candidates, including Chief Minister Hemant Soren who contested from Barhait, his wife Kalpana from Gandey, former CM and BJP state president Babulal Marandi from Dhanwar and ex-CM Champai Soren from Seraikela.
Other prominent candidates include Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato of the JMM from Nala, Deepika Pandey Singh of Congress from Mahagama, Sita Soren (sister-in-law of CM Hemant Soren) from Jamtara, AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto from Silli.
Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said the counting is underway amid tight security arrangements and is likely to be completed by 4 PM.
The assembly elections were held in two phases - November 13 and 20. Forty-three seats went to polls in the first round and 38 in the second.
Ranchi | The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has emerged as a surprise element in the Jharkhand assembly elections with its candidates leading in five of the six seats where the party is contesting, according to trends available on the Election Commission's website on Saturday.
RJD candidates in five assembly seats were leading over sitting BJP legislators.
In 2019, RJD had secured only the Chatra seat where its nominee Satyanand Bhokta won.
In Deoghar, RJD's Suresh Paswan was leading by 19,581 votes over his nearest rival and BJP's sitting MLA Narayan Das after the third round of counting.
RJD's Sanjay Prasad Yadav was ahead by 19,867 votes in Godda over BJP MLA Amit Kumar Mandal after the sixth round of counting.
In Koderma, RJD nominee Subhash Prasad Yadav, who was out on bail, was leading by a margin of 3,471 votes over BJP's sitting legislator Neera Yadav.
Subhas Prasad Yadav, considered to be one of the close aides of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court in a money laundering case.
Party's Naresh Prasad Singh was leading by 5,159 votes after the fourth round of counting over BJP's Bishrampur MLA Ramchandra Chandravanshi.
RJD's Sanjay Kumar Singh Yadav was also leading from Hussainabad by 8,213 votes after the fourth round of counting over BJP MLA Kamlesh Kumar Singh.
Party's candidate Rashmi Prakash, however, was trailing from Chatra by 3,776 votes.
Bhokta did not contest the elections this time, and his daughter-in-law Prakash was given a ticket.
Ranchi | The JMM-led INDIA bloc was leading in 48 of the 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand while the BJP-headed NDA was ahead in 28 as the counting of votes was underway on Saturday, according to trends available on the Election Commission's website.
Counting of votes began at 8 AM.
According to the trends , the INDIA bloc was leading in 48, the NDA in 28 and an independent and JLKM in two seats each till 10.50 AM.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren was leading in Barhait assembly constituency by a margin of 4,921 votes over BJP's Gamliyel Hembrom after the second round of counting.
BJP state chief Babulal Marandi was leading by 5,102 votes over CPIML's Rajkumar Yadav after second round of counting.
JMM candidate and Minister Bebi Devi was leading by 3,315 votes over JKLM's Jairam Mahto in Dumri assembly seat after third round of counting.
Congress Minister Banna Gupta was trailing by a margin of 7,788 votes against JDU's Saryu Roy in Jamshedpur West seat after second round of counting.
NDA ally AJSU Party supremo Sudesh Mahto was trailing by 3,998 votes against JMM's Amit Kumar in Silli after the second round of counting.
In Jaganathpur, former MP and BJP nominee Geeta Kora was trailing by 4,982 votes against Congress' Sonaram Sinku.
JMM's Ramsurya Munda in Khunti was leading by 3,492 votes over BJP's Neelkanth Singh Munda.
Former CM and BJP nominee Champai Soren, who was trailing by 2,986 votes in Seraikela against JMM's Ganesh Mahli after first round, was leading by 856 votes in the second round.
In Bermo, Kumar Jaimangal Singh of the Congress, who was leading by a margin of 3,610 votes after first round over his nearest rival Ravindra Pandey of the BJP, was trailing by 608 votes after the fourth round.
Congress minister Rameshwar Oraon was ahead in Lohardaga by 3,461 votes over AJSU Party's Niru Shanti Bhagat after the third round of counting.
The results will decide the electoral fate of a total of 1,211 candidates, including Chief Minister Hemant Soren who contested from Barhait, his wife Kalpana from Gandey, former CM and BJP state president Babulal Marandi from Dhanwar and ex-CM Champai Soren from Seraikela.
Other prominent candidates include Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato of the JMM from Nala, Deepika Pandey Singh of Congress from Mahagama, Sita Soren (sister-in-law of CM Hemant Soren) from Jamtara, AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto from Silli.
Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said the counting is underway amid tight security arrangements and is likely to be completed by 4 PM.
This elections, the voter turnout touched 67.74 per cent, the highest since the formation of Jharkhand on November 15, 2000.
The elections were held in two phases - November 13 and 20.
Forty-three seats went to polls in the first round and 38 in the second.
Ranchi | Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was leading in the Barhait assembly constituency by a margin of 4,921 votes over BJP's Gamliyel Hembrom.
In 2019, Soren contested two seats -- Barhait and Dumka -- and won both by a margin of 25,740 and 13,188 respectively.
Later, he vacated Dumka seat from where his brother Basant Soren got elected in the bypoll.
Soren had to resign as the CM shortly before his arrest on January 31 by the ED in a money laundering case.
He was released from jail on June 28 after being granted bail by the high court.
On July 3, he was elected as the JMM's legislature party leader.
Champai Soren subsequently submitted his resignation as the CM to the governor, paving the way for Hemant Soren to be sworn in as chief minister for a third time.
Ranchi | The JMM-led INDIA bloc was leading in 46 of the 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand while the BJP-headed NDA was ahead in 29 as the counting of votes was underway on Saturday, according to trends available on the Election Commission's website.
The counting of votes began at 8 AM.
As per the trends in 73 of the 81 seats, the INDIA bloc was leading in 46, the NDA in 29 and an independent and JKLM in one each till 10.15 AM.
Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren was leading by 2,812 votes in Barhait assembly seat after the first round of counting.
NDA ally AJSU Party supremo Sudesh Mahto was trailing by 3,998 votes over JMM's Amit Kumar in Silli after the second round of counting.
In Jaganathpur, former MP and BJP nominee Geeta Kora was trailing by 1,790 votes from Congress' Sonaram Sinku.
JMM's Ramsurya Munda in Khunti was leading by 1,448 votes over BJP's Neelkanth Singh Munda.
Former CM and BJP nominee Champai Soren was trailing by 2,986 votes in Seraikela as against the JMM's Ganesh Mahli.
Kumar Jaimangal Singh of the Congress in Bermo was leading by a margin of 3,610 votes over his nearest rival Ravindra Pandey of the BJP.
Congress minister Rameshwar Oraon was ahead by 1,841 votes over AJSU Party's Niru Shanti Bhagat after the second round of counting.
Congress nominee Naman Bixal Kongari in Kolebira was ahead of others.
In Simdega, BJP candidate Shradhanand Besra was leading.
BJP's Satyendra Nath Tiwari in Garhwa was ahead by 190 votes over his rival Mithilesh Kumar Tharkur of the JMM.
In Koderma, Subhash Yadav of the RJD was leading by 1,481 votes over BJP's Neera Yadav.
From Chatra, RJD's Rashmi Prakash was ahead by 988 votes.
The results will decide the electoral fate of a total of 1,211 candidates, including Chief Minister Hemant Soren who contested from Barhait, his wife Kalpana from Gandey, former CM and BJP state president Babulal Marandi from Dhanwar and ex-CM Champai Soren from Seraikela.
Other prominent candidates include Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato of the JMM from Nala, Deepika Pandey Singh of Congress from Mahagama, Sita Soren (sister-in-law of CM Hemant Soren) from Jamtara, AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto from Silli.
Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said the counting is underway amid tight security arrangements and is likely to be completed by 4 PM.
The lowest 13-round counting will pertain to the Torpa assembly segment while the counting for the Chatra seat will be held for the highest 24 rounds, he said.
This time, voter turnout reached a record 67.74 per cent, the highest since the formation of Jharkhand on November 15, 2000.
The assembly elections were held in two phases - November 13 and 20.
Forty-three seats went to polls in the first round and 38 in the second.
Ranchi | Jharkhand was witnessing a close contest as the BJP-led NDA was leading in 40 of the 81 assembly seats and the JMM-led INDIA bloc in the state was ahead in 37 as the counting of votes was underway on Saturday, officials said.
The counting of votes began at 8 AM.
The Election Commission, however, came out with trends on its website, showing that the INDIA bloc was leading in 19 seats, the NDA in 13 and an independent and JKLM in one each till 9.45 AM.
In Seraikela, former CM and BJP nominee Champai Soren was trailing by 2,986 votes against the JMM's Ganesh Mahli.
Kumar Jaimangal Singh of the Congress in Bermo was leading by a margin of 3,610 votes over his nearest rival Ravindra Pandey of the BJP.
Congress nominee Naman Bixal Kongari in Kolebira is ahead of others.
In Simdega, BJP candidate Shradhanand Besra was leading.
BJP's Satyendra Nath Tiwari in Garhwa was ahead by 190 votes over his rival JMM's Mithilesh Kumar Tharkur.
From Koderma, Subhash Yadav of RJD was leading by 1,481 votes over BJP's Neera Yadav.
From Chatra, RJD's Rashmi Prakash was ahead by 988 votes.
The results will decide the electoral fate of a total of 1,211 candidates, including Chief Minister Hemant Soren who contested from Barhait, his wife Kalpana from Gandey, former CM and BJP state president Babulal Marandi from Dhanwar and ex-CM Champai Soren from Seraikela.
Other prominent candidates include Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato of the JMM from Nala, Deepika Pandey Singh of Congress from Mahagama, Sita Soren (sister-in-law of CM Hemant Soren) from Jamtara, AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto from Silli.
Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said the counting is underway amid tight security arrangements and is likely to be completed by 4 PM.
The lowest 13-round counting will pertain to the Torpa assembly segment while the counting for the Chatra seat will be held for the highest 24 rounds, he said.
This time, voter turnout reached a record 67.74 per cent, the highest since the formation of Jharkhand on November 15, 2000.
The assembly elections were held in two phases - November 13 and 20.
Forty-three seats went to polls in the first round and 38 in the second.
Ranchi | The BJP was leading in 39 of the 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand while the JMM was ahead in 38 as the counting of votes was underway on Saturday, according to reports of TV channels.
The counting of votes began at 8 AM.
The Election Commission, however, came out with trends showing that the INDIA Bloc leading in four seats, the BJP and an independent in one each till 9.26 AM.
The results will decide the electoral fate of a total of 1,211 candidates, including Chief Minister Hemant Soren who contested from Barhait, his wife Kalpana from Gandey, former CM and BJP state president Babulal Marandi from Dhanwar and ex-CM Champai Soren from Seraikela.
Other prominent candidates include Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato of the JMM from Nala, Deepika Pandey Singh of Congress from Mahagama, Sita Soren (sister-in-law of CM Hemant Soren) from Jamtara, AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto from Silli.
Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said the counting is underway amid tight security arrangements and is likely to be completed by 4 PM.
The lowest 13-round counting will pertain to the Torpa assembly segment while the counting for the Chatra seat will be held for the highest 24 rounds, he said.
This time, voter turnout reached a record 67.74 per cent, the highest since the formation of Jharkhand on November 15, 2000.
The assembly elections were held in two phases - November 13 and 20.
Forty-three seats went to polls in the first round and 38 in the second. PTI NAM/SAN
Ranchi | The BJP was leading in 25 of the 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand while the JMM was ahead in 10 as the counting of postal ballots was underway on Saturday, TV channels reported.
The counting of votes began at 8 AM.
The Election Commission, however, is yet to come out with any trend as of now on its website.
The assembly elections were held in two phases - November 13 and 20.
Forty-three seats went to polls in the first round and 38 in the second.
Ranchi | Counting of votes for 81 assembly constituencies in Jharkhand began at 8 AM on Saturday, Election Commission officials said.
The elections were held in two phases - November 13 and 20.
The first round of polls covered 43 constituencies, while the second and final phase saw voting in 38 seats.
"Counting began at 8 AM at all 24 centres. Postal ballots are being taken up first. Counting of votes polled in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) will begin at 8.30 AM and first trends are likely by 9.30 AM," an official said.
Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said the counting is likely to be completed by 4 PM.
The lowest 13-round counting will pertain to the Torpa assembly segment while the counting for the Chatra seat will be held for the highest 24 rounds, he said.
Barring the returning officer and district election officer, no one is allowed to take mobile phones inside the counting centres, another official said.
Elaborate counting arrangements have been made at all the centres and observers have been appointed for each assembly constituency.
"Each table is headed by an ARO to ensure fair counting of postal ballots," an official said.
This time, voter turnout reached a record 67.74 per cent, the highest since the formation of Jharkhand on November 15, 2000.
The results will decide the fate of a total of 1,211 candidates, including Chief Minister Hemant Soren who contested from Barhait, his wife Kalpana from Gandey, former CM and BJP state president Babulal Marandi from Dhanwar and ex-CM Champai Soren from Seraikela.
Ranchi | JMM leader and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana was trailing in Gandey Assembly seat by 3,910 votes against her nearest BJP rival Muniya Devi after the second round of counting, according to the Election Commission.
Kalpana had won the seat in a bypoll on June 4 this year after it fell vacant following the resignation of JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad.
She had defeated BJP's Dilip Kumar Verma by a margin of 27,149 votes.
Kalpana had embarked on a political journey during the 51st foundation day celebration of JMM in Giridih district on March 4 this year.
Ranchi | Jharkhand BJP chief Babulal Marandi was leading by1,840 votes over CPIML's Rajkumar Yadav in Dhanwar assembly seat after the first round of counting of votes, according to the Election Commission of India.
Marandi won the Dhanwar seat in the 2019 assembly polls as a Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) candidate by defeating BJP's Lakshman Prasad Singh by a margin of 17,550 votes. Later, he joined the BJP.
JMM, Congress, RJD and CPI (ML) Liberation are jointly contesting Jharkhand polls under the INDI Alliance.
Ranchi | Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was leading in the Barhait assembly constituency by a margin of 2,812 votes over BJP's Gamliyel Hembrom.
In 2019, Soren contested two seats -- Barhait and Dumka -- and won both by a margin of 25,740 votes and 13,188 votes respectively.
Later, he vacated Dumka seat from where his brother Basant Soren got elected in the bypoll.
Soren had to resign as the CM shortly before his arrest on January 31 by the ED in a money laundering case.
He was released from jail on June 28 after being granted bail by the high court.
On July 3, he was elected as the JMM's legislature party leader.
Champai Soren subsequently submitted his resignation as the CM to the governor, paving the way for Hemant Soren to be sworn in as chief minister for a third time.