New Delhi: The Election Commission has announced that the Jharkhand Assembly elections will take place in two phases, on 13 and 20 November, with the vote count scheduled for 23 November. A total of 81 assembly seats are up for grabs in the state, which has 26 million registered voters. Approximately 29,562 polling booths will be set up, of which 24,520 will be located in rural areas.
The Election Commission is making special provisions for elderly voters, with seating arrangements in polling lines and the option for home voting.
In the 2019 elections, a coalition between the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won 47 seats, leading to Hemant Soren’s appointment as Chief Minister. However, Soren stepped down in January 2024 following his arrest in a money-laundering case, and Champai Soren briefly took over. After Hemant Soren’s release on bail in June, he resumed his position as Chief Minister, subsequently joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP has now formed an alliance with the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) and the Janata Dal (United) (JDU), setting the stage for a competitive contest against the JMM-Congress-RJD coalition.
Simultaneously, the Election Commission has also announced by-polls for 48 assembly seats across various states and two Lok Sabha constituencies. Voting will take place on 13 and 20 November.