Jharkhand Assembly Election Results 2019 Live: BJP Concedes Defeat With JMM-Congress Alliance Set For Majority

The Bharatiya Janata Party conceded defeat in the Jharkhand assembly elections with Hemant Soren-led alliance of the JMM and Congress looked set to secure more than 40 out of the 81 seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Soren for the victory and extended his best wishes to the combine. "Congratulations to Hemant Soren and the JMM-led alliance for the victory in the Jharkhand polls. Best wishes to them in serving the state," Prime minister said.

Home Minister Amit Shah, too, said the BJP respects the mandate of the people.

In a tweet, Shah also expressed his gratitude to the people of Jharkhand for giving the BJP a chance to govern the state for five years and asserted that his party remains committed to its development.

He also lauded BJP workers for their "untiring" efforts in the assembly polls.

As of 7 PM, the JMM was leading in 22 seats and had won eight seats. The BJP was leading in 17 seats and had won nine. The Congress was leading in 11 seats and had won 4.

Hemant Soren, the chief ministerial candidate of the opposition alliance, which is on way to a decisive victory over the ruling BJP, Monday said the people of Jharkhand have given a clear majority to the JMM-Congress-RJD combine.

Soren, who has been projected as the chief ministerial candidate of the alliance, said all the opposition partners will meet to "strategize the future course of action".

He thanked Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and his father and JMM president Shibu Soren.

He also thanked the people of all sections and the media.

The people of Jharkhand have given a clear majority to the JMM/Cong/RJD alliance. A new chapter begins, which will prove a milestone, Soren, who is the working president of JMM, told a press conference soon after trends showed a clear majority to the opposition alliance.

JMM had contested in 43 of the total 81 seats and is leading in 29, the Congress is ahead in 14 of the 31 seats that it has fought in and RJD is ahead in one out of the seven seats.

The JMM-led three-party alliance in Jharkhand was on Monday leading in 40 of the 81 state assembly seats, while the ruling BJP nominees were ahead in 31, according to the latest trends available on the Election Commission website.

Chief Minister Raghubar Das was trailing BJP rebel candidate and former minister Saryu Roy by over 4,000 votes in Jamshedpur (East) constituency. Roy is in the fray as an Independent candidate. Das has represented the seat five times since 1995.

The JMM was leading in 24 seats, while its alliance partner Congress was ahead in 13 and the RJD in three.

The JVM(P) and the AJSU Party were leading in three constituencies each.

The CPI-ML(Liberation) and the NCP were leading in one seat each, while Independent candidates were ahead in two constituencies.

The JMM and the Congress-RJD combine had contested the 2014 assembly elections separately. The three parties were, however, part of the coalition government led by JMM leader Hemant Soren from 2013 to 2014 before the elections took place. They parted ways over seat-sharing arrangements and the JMM chose to plough a lonely furrow.

The BJP, on the other hand, is contesting the assembly polls all by itself for the first time since the creation of Jharkhand in the year 2000, having always gone to the hustings with the AJSU party. The two parties failed to iron out their differences on the number of seats each would contest this time.

A party or a coalition of parties needs 41 seats for a simple majority in the House of 81.

Hemant Soren, the leader of the opposition alliance, is ahead of his rivals in both Barhait and Dumka seats.

Several BJP ministers including C P Singh and Anil Kumar Bauri are leading, but Raj Paliwar was trailing. Dinesh Oraon, the Speaker of the outgoing assembly and BJP candidate, was also trailing in Madhupur.

Former deputy chief minister and AJSU Party president Sudesh Mahto was leading by 12,515 votes over JMM candidate Seema Devi from his traditional Silli seat.

Former chief minister and JVM(P) president Babulal Marandi was leading by 10,252 votes over his nearest rival Raj Kumar Yadav of CPI-ML(Liberation) in Dhanwar seat.

The BJP's Bihar allies--the JD(U) and LJP-- contested the elections on their own and none of their candidates was leading anywhere.

The BJP contested 79 seats, supported an Independent candidate in one place and did not put up nominee against AJSU Party president Sudesh Mahto.

Under a pre-poll arrangement, The JMM had the lion's share of 43 seats, while the Congress fielded nominees in 31 constituencies and Lalu Prasad's RJD in seven.

The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) contested all the 81 seats.

As the JMM-led alliance appeared set to cross the majority mark in the Jharkhand Assembly polls on Monday, the Congress exuded confidence that the alliance will form the government with Hemant Soren as chief minister.

All India Congress Committee in-charge for Jharkhand, RPN Singh said, "We will form the government as we fought the elections for the people of the state by raising issues that affect their lives and livelihoods. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah tried to divert the attention of the people away from fundamental issues but the people did not get swayed."

Reiterating that Hemant Soren of the JMM will be the chief minister as declared earlier, Singh said the Jharkhand results are a defeat of BJP's "arrogance and diversionary tactics".

Congress coordinator for Jharkhand polls Ajay Sharma said this is the defeat of BJP's corruption and its arrogance.

The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance in Jharkhand is leading in 42 out of the 81 seats of state Assembly till 12 noon on Monday, while the ruling BJP is ahead in 28 seats.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das was trailing behind his Independent rival Saryu Roy by 771 votes in Jamshedpur (East) constituency as per trends available in the Election Commission website as of 1:00 p.m. on Monday.

Das, the BJP candidate, has secured 13,708 votes while Roy got 14,479 votes so far.

Roy, a former Jharkhand minister, had quit the Raghubar Das cabinet and the BJP after he was denied a ticket from Jamshedpur (West) seat, from where he had won in the 2014 polls.

On the other hand, opposition JMM-Congress-RJD alliance chief ministerial candidate Hemant Soren is leading from Barhait and Dumka seats by 8,616 and 3,188 votes respectively.

Former chief minister and JVM(P) founder Babulal Marandi was leading by 9,416 votes over his nearest rival Raj Kumar Yadav of CPI-ML(Liberation) in Dhanwar seat.

The JMM-Congress-RJD opposition alliance in Jharkhand is leading in 42 out of the 81 seats of state assembly as of noon today, while the ruling BJP is ahead in 28 seats.

The JMM is leading in 24 seats while its alliance partner Congress is ahead in 13 and the RJD in five.

The JVM(P) is ahead in four seats while the AJSU Party is leading in three constituencies. The CPI-ML(Liberation) and the NCP are leading in one seat each while independent candidates are ahead in two constituencies.

Among the seats that the BJP is leading are Baghmara, Bhawanathpur, Daltonganj, Dhanbad, Dumka, Gandey, Ghatsila, Hatia, Hazaribagh, Jama, Jamshedpur (East), Jamshedpur (West), Jamua, Jarmundi, Kanke, Khunti, Madhupur, Mahagama, Panki, Potka, Ramgarh and Rajmahal.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das is leading in Jamshedpur (East) seat over independent candidate Saryu Roy by a slender margin of 156 votes.

Urban Development Minister and BJP candidate CP Singh is leading by 15,857 votes over his nearest JMM rival Mahua Maji in Ranchi seat.

Labour Minister and BJP candidate Raj Paliwar is leading by 1,289 votes over his nearest rival Haji Hussain Ansari of the JMM in Madhupur seat.

Jharkhand Assembly Speaker and BJP candidate Dinesh Oraon is trailing by over 9,262 votes in Sisai seat.

The JMM is leading in Baharagora, Borio, Chaibasa, Chakradharpur, Dumri, Ghatsila, Garhwa, Ichagarh, Jugsalai, Kharasawan, Latehar, Littipara, Manoharpur, Saraikella and Maheshpur seats.

Opposition alliance chief ministerial candidate and JMM working president Hemant Soren is leading in Barhait seat over BJP's Simon Malto by 6,190 votes and is trailing by 2,427 votes behind state welfare minister and BJP candidate Lois Marandi in Dumka seat.

The seats where the Congress is leading are Barkagaon, Barhi, Pakur, Bermo, Jagannathpur, Kolebira, Manika and Bokaro while the RJD is ahead in Deoghar, Chatra, Kodarma, Chattarpur and Godda constituencies.

The AJSU Party is ahead in Chandankyari, Gomia, Mandu and Silli constituencies.

Uma Kant Rajak of AJSU Party is leading by 2,110 votes over his nearest rival state Revenue and Land Reforms Minister and BJP candidate Amar Kumar Bauri in Chandankiyari seat.

Former deputy chief minister and AJSU Party president Sudesh Mahto is leading by 4,287 votes over JMM candidate Seema Devi in Silli seat.

Former chief minister and JVM(P) president Babulal Marandi is leading by 5,980 votes over his nearest rival Raj Kumar Yadav of CPI-ML(Liberation) in Dhanwar seat.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in 22 of the 62 constituencies in the 81-seat Jharkhand Assembly, early trends of which were available on Monday.

Opposition JMM is leading in 19 seats, followed by the Congress in nine, the RJD in five and BSP and AJSU Party in two each.

Among the seats that the BJP is leading are Baghmara, Barhi, Bishunpur, Dumka, Chandankiyari, Jamshedpur (West), Pakur, Panki, Potka, Simdega, Torpa, Hazaribagh.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das is leading in Jamshedpur (East) seat over independent candidate Saryu Roy by 342 votes.

The JMM is leading in Shikaripara, Gumla, Sisai, Chaibasa, Borio, Chakradharpur and Ichagarh seats.

JMM working president Hemant Soren is leading from Barhait over BJP's Simon Malto by 664 votes and is trailing in Dumka seat by 6,329 votes.

The seats where the Congress is leading are Bermo, Jagannathpur and Bokaro while the RJD is leading in Chatra, Chattarpur and Godda constituencies.

The BSP is leading in Bishrampur and Hussainabad seats while the AJSU Party is leading in Gomia constituency.

Counting of votes for 81 Assembly constituencies in Jharkhand began at 8 a.m., Election Commission officials said.

The election was held in five phases between Nov. 30 and Dec. 20.

Among the prominent candidates are Chief Minister Raghubar Das from Jamshedpur East, the chief ministerial candidate of the opposition JMM, Congress, RJD alliance Hemant Soren from Dumka and Barhait and former chief minister Babulal Marandi, also the president of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), from Dhanwar.

Counting began at 8 a.m. in all the district headquarters, the officials said.

Postal ballots will be taken up first and votes polled in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) will begin at 8.30 am, they said.

Most exit polls telecast by news channels soon after voting ended for the fifth and final phase of the Jharkhand elections on Friday indicated a hung assembly.

Results for the elections to the 81-member state assembly will be announced today.

The ABP/C-Voters has given 35 seats to the opposition alliance of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

It has given 32 seats to the ruling BJP, five to the AJSU Party and three to the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) and six to others.

Aaj Tak has given the BJP between 22 and 32 seats, and the JMM-led opppsition between 38 and 50 seats.

It has predicted two to four seats for the JVM-P, three to five for the AJSU Party and four to seven for others.

Jharkhand/Bihar Hindi news channel, News-XI, has given the BJP between 30 and 35 seats.

It has given the JMM between 17 and 22 seats, the Congress between nine and 12, the AJSU Party between eight and 12 seats, and the JVM-P between four and six seats. Others have been given between eight and 10 seats by the channel.