While the electoral battle was primarily a Mahayuti versus Maha Vikas Aghadi contest, it was the head-to head fights between BJP and Congress in 75 constituencies that shaped the larger outcome. BJP emerged victorious in 65 seats of these, leaving Congress with a mere 10.
The assembly elections, following months after the LS polls in which Congress staged a comeback, winning 17 of 48 seats — its best performance in a decade, has seen the BJP make a stunning recovery. It has clinched 132 of the 288 assembly seats, its highest-ever tally in Maharashtra, surpassing its previous records of 122 in 2014 and 105 in 2019. In stark contrast, Congress plummeted to its worst-ever performance, winning only 15, a steep decline from 44 in 2019 and 42 in 2014.
BJP’s triumph can be attributed to a coordinated campaign in which its state and central leadership worked in tandem. While deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and state party president Chandrashekar Bawankule worked across various regions, providing support to every candidate, seasoned campaigners like Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari and Yogi Adityanath provided the necessary impetus to counter anti-incumbency.
Winning is in the hands of the public. We have got the mandate of the people. We do not care about those making allegations against us. I believe they have returned to their homes and it is better if they work for the welfare of their own states...We will take further decisions in the CLP meeting and in the meeting with our INDIA alliance partners.
An aggressive BJP campaign that hinged on “infiltration” of illegals from Bangladesh changing the Jharkhand’s demography and corruption by the JMM-led state govt didn’t see a buy in from voters in the state as the INDIA bloc, with CM Hemant Soren and his wife Kalpana leading the charge, swept to victory on Saturday in the assembly elections.
The JMM-led INDIA bloc won 56 seats in the 81-member assembly. In the face of a BJP blitz led by Union home minister Amit Shah, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and UP CM Yogi Adityanath – besides PM Modi, who held five campaign rallies and a roadshow – JMM did not just hold its own but gained in vote share from 18% in 2019 to 23%. JMM also notched up its best electoral performance, winning 34 of the 43 seats it contested. Soren, who was arrested by ED in a corruption case, also appeared to have got the sympathy factor working for him.
BJP, which contested 68 seats, held on to its vote share (33%) but lost four seats from its 2019 tally. Though down to 21, it’s the second-largest party in the state. Defying talk of being the weak link in the INDIA bloc, Congress matched its 2019 show by winning 16 of the 30 seats it contested.
A telling verdict on the campaign from the tribal bastion of Santhal Pargana, where the INDIA bloc won 17 of 18 seats – JMM 11, Congress 4 and RJD 2 – while BJP managed slipped from four it had in the region in 2019 to the lone seat of Jarmundi. The INDIA bloc also routed BJP in the state’s 28 ST seats, winning 27 (JMM 21, Congress 6). Former CM Champai Soren won the only ST seat (Serai kela) that went to NDA.
Sarma campaigned extensively here, blaming JMM for tribal land changing hands over decades, which BJP alleged was changing the demography of the area.