JMM vote share slumps to 18.72 percent in Jharkhand

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s (JMM) vote share in the just-concluded Jharkhand Assembly polls has slumped to 18.72 percent despite the party winning 30 of the total 81 seats in the state.

The JMM had won 19 seats in 2014 polls with a vote share of 20.43 percent. This time the party bagged 30 seats but its vote share came down to 18.72 percent.

Though the BJP had won 37 seats in 2014 Assembly polls which plummeted to 25 this time, its vote share has risen. The saffron party’s vote share which was 31.26 percent in 2014 Assembly elections increased to 33.37 percent this time.

The three-party alliance of the JMM, Congress and the RJD registered an impressive victory in the recent Assembly polls clinching 47 seats, six more than the halfway mark.

While the JMM won 30 seats, Congress bagged 16 and the RJD one. The BJP won 25 seats, the AJSU Party two, the JVM (P) three and the other four.

Also read: J’khand poll rout could cost BJP all seats in Rajya Sabha

Congress improved both its tally and vote share this time winning 16 seats and registering a vote share of 13.88 percent. In 2014, the party had won nine seats recording a vote share of 10.46 percent.

Coordinator of the Jharkhand chapter of the Association for Democratic Reforms and National Election Watch Sudhir Pal said that the difference between vote share and tally depends on how many seats the respective parties had contested in the previous polls and the recent Assembly elections.

The BJP had in 2014 contested 74 seats as it had an alliance with the AJSU party and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) while this time it contested 79 seats leading to a difference
in the percentage of vote share.

“While the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) had contested all the seats in 2014, it fielded nominees in only 43 seats this time following its alliance with the Congress and the RJD, resulting in the shrinking of vote share.

In 2005 Assembly elections, the BJP had won 30 seats with a vote share of 23.57 percent. The JMM had won 17 seats with a vote share of 14.29 percent while the Congress won
nine seats with a vote share of 12.05 percent.

In 2009 Assembly polls, the BJP and the JMM had won 18 seats each with a vote share of 20.18 percent and 15.2 percent respectively.

The Congress had bagged 14 seats with a vote share of 16.16 percent point in 2009 Assembly polls.