Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to end the 5-year wait in Jharkhand by the 2024 elections, but for this it will have to overcome the challenge of India Alliance. Also, it has to be seen that the party stays away from its ‘unlucky’ figure of 12 in Jharkhand. The saffron party would like to stay away from the figure of 12 and touch the figure of 14. In Jharkhand, the figure of 14 was pleasant for him and for the first time a government (CM Raghuvar Das) had completed 5 years in the state.
Jharkhand was created as a new state by separating it from Bihar in November 2000. Then elections for Bihar Assembly were held here. In the year 2005, for the first time, assembly elections were held in Jharkhand, which came on the map of the country as a new state. Of the 4 elections held here so far, the year 2014 was a great election for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) because for the first time it had performed well here.
12 seats reduced compared to 2005
In the 2014 elections in the 81-seat Jharkhand Assembly, BJP had fielded its candidates on 72 seats, in which it won 37 seats. However, the security deposit on one seat was also confiscated. Besides, the party’s vote share (31.8 percent) had also increased significantly. But the numbers 9 and 12 proved to be ‘unlucky’ with the party. If we look at the results of the last 4 elections held in the state, this happened not once but twice.
Assembly elections were held for the first time in Jharkhand in 2005. Then the party fielded its candidates on 63 seats, out of which it won 30 seats. But in 2009 he had to face a crushing defeat. In comparison to 2005, its 12 seats were reduced in the 2009 elections and it had to lose power. Then he tried his luck on 67 seats, but he had to be satisfied with only 18 seats.
12 seats reduced in 2019 elections also
After the defeat in 2009, BJP got its biggest victory till now in the 2014 assembly elections. Out of 72 seats, its candidates won on 37 seats. For the first time, BJP was also successful in forming the government with majority. In the elections, 6 out of 8 MLAs from Babulal Marandi’s party Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) joined BJP in early 2015. Later the Assembly Speaker also gave his approval to this merger, which further strengthened the position of Raghuvar Das government in the state. Raghuvar ran his government for full 5 years and he also became the first Chief Minister to do so in Jharkhand.
But in the 2019 elections, the figures of 9 and 12 once again proved inauspicious for BJP. BJP worked hard in this election, but it had to face defeat. Also, compared to 2014, its number of seats decreased again by 12. Earlier in 2009 also, BJP’s seats had reduced by 12 seats, now in 2019 also its seats have reduced by the same number.
Seats decreased in 2019, but voting percentage increased
In the year 2019, for the first time, BJP fielded its candidates on 79 seats, but with the loss of 12 seats it was reduced to just 25. However, it was a matter of relief for BJP that its vote percentage increased and for the first time it got more than 33 percent votes.
Now it remains to be seen whether BJP is able to repeat the historic performance of 2014 in the 2024 elections or achieves results with a combination of ‘Unlucky 12’ of 2009 and 2019.
