The Jharkhand Assembly Election results are set to be announced today. Early trends show a neck-to-neck fight between BJP and Congress-Jharkhand Mukti Morch (JMM) alliance. Anticipating that the results might just lead to a hung assembly, according to media reports, BJP has reached out to All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) and The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) as a Plan-B in the state.
Per media reports, the BJP leadership is in touch with AJSU Chief Sudesh Mahto and JVM chief Babulal Marandi in Jharkhand with both parties making headway in the state according to early trends.
Read: Jharkhand Results: Early trends suggest BJP performing better than what Exit Polls predicted
AJSU and JVM are currently leading in 7 seats while the BJP is leading in 30. The majority mark in the state of Jharkhand is 41 seats.
The AJSU and JVM are likely to be kingmakers in Jharkhand with ruling BJP being in direct contest with JMM-Cong-RJD alliance and AJSU emerging as the third pole of the elections.
The AJSU had fought the 2014 elections in alliance with the BJP and won 5 out of 8 seats. It was also a part of the Raghubar Das government in Jharkhand, however, just before the assembly elections, AJSU had severed the alliance and decided to contest alone. AJSU is contesting on 53 out of the total 81 seats.
AJSU had indicated in before the elections that it will be open to a post-poll alliance with the BJP.
“I don’t want to make the government of any party or individual. I want the government of the people of Jharkhand which works for the overall development of the people… For me, the Congress and the BJP are same,” Mahato had said when asked about whom his party would support if the polls throw up a fractured mandate.
He had alleged that both national parties (Congress and BJP) don’t pay attention to local issues after winning the election.
