Jharkhand Assembly Election

The Jharkhand assembly election saw the Bharatiya Janata Party and its poll partner, the All Jharkhand Students Union Party, secure an absolute majority by winning 42 seats. The absence of a united opposition; a lukewarm Congress; the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha ceding ground in Santhal Parganas; large-scale defections of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha legislators; and a record voter turnout ensured that the result went the BJP way. The party also benefi ted from its urban popularity, the consolidation of the Hindu vote and being in power at the centre.