Ranchi, May 4 (PTI) The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) failed to open its account in Assam despite aggressively contesting 16 seats in the 126-member assembly.
The party, however, said it secured a footprint in Assam, as two of its candidates emerged as runners-up and 14 others secured the third position.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren-led JMM secured 1.17 per cent of the vote share till 8 pm, which is more than the vote share of CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(ML) Liberation combined, a party office-bearer said.
Extending gratitude to the people of Assam, Soren posted on X, “With limited resources and without any major alliance, JMM contested elections on 16 seats and made its strong presence felt. Finishing second on 2 seats in the very first attempt, and securing more than 15,000 votes on 7 seats, is a clear indication that the party has begun to establish its hold among the people.” The performance shows that this is just the beginning, and in the times to come, the organisation will emerge even stronger, he added.
“The results and the people’s trust further clarify that there is a need to firmly raise the issues of the tribal society at the national level. This is not just an electoral effort, but a fight for existence, identity, and rights, and with you, with your trust, this struggle will continue relentlessly,” the CM added.
Addressing mediapersons here, JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said, “We contested the assembly polls in Assam for the first time. In a short phase of campaigning led by our leader Hemant Soren, we made our presence felt in the northeastern state. We have registered our footprint in Assam. We will continue our struggle for the tribals in the state.” The party’s best performance came from Phedricson Hasdak, who secured the second spot from Gossaigaon constituency with 21.4 per cent of the vote share. Sabharam Basumatary of the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) won the seat by a margin of 23,083 votes.
The second-best performer from the party was Priti Rekha Barla, who contested from Mazbat seat and bagged the second position with 18.42 per cent vote share. She lost to Charan Boro of BPF by a margin of 55,546 votes.
Eight of the JMM candidates have secured less than 10 per cent of the total votes polled till 7 pm, and they were set to get their deposit forfeited, according to the Election Commission.
On March 23, the JMM announced its list of 21 candidates for the Assam assembly elections with an aim to woo about 70 lakh people of the tea tribe community, many members of which trace their ancestry to Jharkhand. However, only 16 nominees contested the polls.
Banking heavily on Soren and his legislator wife, Kalpana Soren, who also emerged as a popular tribal voice, the party carried out an extensive election campaign to win people’s support in Assam, particularly of the tea tribe community.
The Jharkhand CM camped in Assam for over a week and held several rallies, particularly in the areas dominated by the tea tribe community.
Soren had been visiting Assam and raising the tribal issues in the northeastern state since the JMM won the Jharkhand assembly polls in 2024, another party office-bearer said.
The JMM-led alliance stormed to power in Jharkhand for the second time in a row, securing 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, while the BJP-headed NDA managed to win just 24 in the 2024 state elections. PTI SAN ACD SAN MNB
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