2009 Jharkhand Legislative Assembly election

25 November – 18 December 2009
81 seats of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly 41 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	56.97%
Majority party Minority party   Leader Arjun Munda Shibu Soren Party BJP JMM Alliance NDA UPA Leader's seat Kharsawan (Won) Did not contest Last election 30 17 Seats won 18 18 Seat change 12 1 Popular vote 2,074,215 1,562,060 Percentage 20.18% 15.20% Swing 3.39% 0.91%   Third party Fourth party   Leader Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu Babulal Marandi Party INC JVM(P) Alliance UPA - Leader's seat Ghatsila (lost) Did not contest Last election 9 New Seats won 14 11 Seat change 5 New Popular vote 1,660,977 923,671 Percentage 16.16% 8.99% Swing 4.11% New
Chief Minister before election Madhu Koda Independent Elected Chief Minister Shibu Soren JMM

Elections for the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly were held in December 2009. It was a contest between three alliances The Indian National Congress (INC), The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and its major ally Janata Dal (United), and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). The poll result was a shock for the incumbent BJP-JD(U) Alliance as they could muster only a quarter of the state assembly's 81 seats. The JMM emerged as a formidable force and finally turned out to be the kingmaker. The election turned out to be a stalemate as many expected because no major party or group was able to come even close to the 41-seat majority.

The JMM has always been an important factor in the state's political scenario even before the creation of the state. It then served as a rallying point for the people who demanded statehood for Jharkhand from Bihar.

Results

Parties and Coalitions		Popular vote			Seats
		Vote	%	+/-	Contested	Won	+/-
	Bharatiya Janata Party	2,074,215	20.18		67	18	12
	Jharkhand Mukti Morcha	1,562,060	15.20		78	18	1
	Indian National Congress	1,660,977	16.16		61	14	5
	Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik)	923,671	8.99		25	11
	All Jharkhand Students Union	526,231	5.12		54	5
	Rashtriya Janata Dal	517,324	5.03		56	5
	Janata Dal (United)	285,565	2.78		14	2
	Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation	241,436	2.35		33	1
	Jharkhand Party	112,821	1.10		41	1
	Marxist Co-ordination Committee	111,996	1.09		6	1
	Jai Bharat Samanta Party	93,280	0.91		9	1
	Jharkhand Janadikhar Manch	74,320	0.72		9	1
	Rashtriya Kalyan Paksha	72,401	0.70		3	1
	Bahujan Samaj Party	250,751	2.44		78	0
	Nav Jawan Sangharsh Morcha	54,931	0.53		12	0
	Independents	1,091,011	10.61		647	2
Total		10,279,009	100.00				±0
Valid votes		10,279,009	99.98
Invalid votes		1,993	0.02
Votes cast / turnout		10,281,002	56.97
Abstentions		7,764,636	43.03
Registered voters		18,045,638
Source: ECI[1]

Results by constituency

Government Formation

A compromise formula was worked out between the BJP-JD(U) Alliance and the JMM. These two groups, with the help of independents and other minor parties, had run the state government, and the president rules the state.

References