Jharkhand assembly elections: PM Modi urges voters to show ‘full enthusiasm in this festival of democracy’

Jharkhand assembly elections: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged voters in the state of Jharkhand to show “full enthusiasm in this festival of democracy” amid the states' assembly elections today on November 13.

PM Modi encouraged voters to exercise their franchise with "full enthusiasm" in the first round of voting in the Jharkhand assembly elections.

Jharkhand 2024 Assembly Elections Today

Voting for 43 assembly seats in Jharkhand began this morning (November 13) with a total of 683 candidates trying their luck, including former state Chief Minister Champai Soren and ex-MP Geeta Kora.

The polling began around 7 am in constituencies across 15 districts n the state and will continue till 5 pm, today.

“Today is the first round of voting in the Jharkhand assembly elections. I urge all voters to vote with full enthusiasm in this festival of democracy. On this occasion, my heartiest congratulations to all my young friends who are going to vote for the first time! Remember - ‘pehle matdan, phir jalpaan’!” PM Modi wrote on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).

The second phase of elections will be held on November 20 in the state while the counting of votes will be done on November 23.

Three-way Contest Underway

The contest in Jharkhand is between the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led INDIA bloc and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance.

In the 2019 Assembly Elections, JMM emerged as the largest party with 30 seats, while the BJP bagged 25 seats. The Congress won 16 seats, the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) got three seats, while All Jharkhand Students Union won 2 seats.

The JMM formed a government with the support of Congress and RJD. The alliance – part of INDIA bloc – is contesting the 2024 assembly election again with Hemant Soren-led JMM contesting 43 of the 81 seats in the assembly. The Congress has fielded candidates in 30 seats. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is contesting six seats while the Left parties are contesting three seats.

In the NDA bloc, the Bharatiya Janata Party is contesting on 68 seats, while its alliance partner All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) has fielded candidate on 10 seats. The Janata Dal (United) is contesting 2 seats and the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is contesting from 1 seat in Jharkhand polls.

(With inputs from PTI)