Jharkhand Exit Polls Highlights: A neck and neck battle in Jharkhand? What have pollsters predicted?

Voting across the 81 Assembly seats in Jharkhand concluded at 6 pm on Wednesday. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led INDIA bloc is contesting against the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)-led NDA in a high-stakes state assembly election.

Exit polls for the 2024 Jharkhand assembly election indicate a tight race, with neither of the two major alliances expected to secure a majority. This close contest will give independent and other candidates an advantage. A government in Jharkhand can only be formed if any political group reaches the majority threshold of 41 seats.

The voting wrapped up on Thursday, following weeks of intense campaigning.

The ruling INDIA bloc comprises the JMM, Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, BJP, AJSU, JD(U) and the LJP constitute the NDA.

Jharkhand has a total of 81 Assembly constituencies across 24 districts. Of these, 44 are general, 28 are reserved for scheduled tribes (ST), and nine for scheduled castes (SC).

Read More:Jharkhand Exit polls Catch live updates here

The election results will be announced on November 23.

Jharkhand Election 2024 Exit Polls Highlights:

➤ According to the latest exit poll by Matrize, the BJP-led NDA is poised to secure a clear victory in Jharkhand with projections ranging between 42 to 47 seats. The pollster predicted 25-30 seats for the JMM-led INDIA bloc.
➤As per Peoples Pulse Exit Poll 2024, BJP (NDA) will secure victory in 42-48 seats, AJSU (NDA) will get 2-5 seats, and JMM (INDIA)will get 16-23 seats.
➤According to the Axis My India exit poll for Jharkhand, the INDIA alliance is predicted to secure 52 seats, while the NDA is expected to win 23 seats. Other parties are projected to claim 3 seats in the assembly.
➤According to the P-Marq exit poll for Jharkhand, the NDA is projected to win between 31 and 40 seats, while the INDIA alliance is expected to secure between 37 and 47 seats. Other parties are predicted to win between 1 and 6 seats in the assembly.
➤NDA bloc is projected to win 45-50 seats, while INDIA bloc will be limited to 35-38 seats, as per Chanakya Strategies. Other parties are predicted to win 3 to 5 seats in the assembly.
➤The Times Now JVC Exit Poll for the Jharkhand Assembly Elections predicts a neck-and-neck race, with the NDA projected to win 40-44 seats, the INDIA bloc set to secure 30-40 seats, and 1 seat for others.

Key candidates:

A total of 683 candidates are contesting in the first phase, whereas the fate of 528 candidates will be decided in the second phase.

Hemant Soren, who spearheaded the INDIA bloc campaign, is contesting from Barhait, a JMM stronghold in the Santhal Pargana division. Representing the constituency since 2014, he seeks to extend the party’s unbroken dominance there since 1990.

Former state CM Champai Soren is contesting for the first time as a BJP candidate from Saraikela.

ALSO READ: "BJP-NDA alliance will secure over 51 seats, form govt": Jharkhand BJP chief Babulal Marandi

Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren is contesting from Gandey in Giridih district. Kalpana entered politics after Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate. She won the by-poll in June and then went on to emerge as one of the JMMM's most active campaigners.

In the state capital Ranchi, a close contest is expected between Rajya Sabha member Mahua Maji of JMM and six-times MLA C P Singh of BJP.

ALSO READ: Jharkhand elections: BJP's anti-incumbency pitch as INDIA bloc raises Hemant Soren arrest

NDA vs INDIA bloc:

The BJP made infiltration the key theme of its Jharkhand campaign and unleashed a strong attack against the Soren government over the issue. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who anchored the party's campaign set the stage for this attack. Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all-star campaigners of the BJP accused the JMM and the Congress of turning a blind eye to Bangladeshi infiltrators in the state in a bid to appease them for political gains.

INDIA bloc leaders including Congress's Rahul Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Hemant Soren and his wife Kalpana campaigned extensively. They promised welfare schemes and accused the BJP-led Centre of "unleashing" ED and CBI against the rival parties.

What happened in 2019?

In the 2019 assembly elections, the JMM-Congress-RJD coalition secured 47 seats, while the BJP saw a decline, losing 25 seats from the 37 it held in 2014.

Exit Polls: When and where to watch it?

All attention has shifted towards the exit poll predictions for Jharkhand that has offered insights into the potential outcomes for the state's future government.