Jharkhand is set to vote for 38 seats in the second and final phase of assembly elections on November 20, alongside Maharashtra. In the first phase, held on November 13, the state voted for 43 seats, primarily in Kolhan (14), South Chotanagpur (15), Palamu (9), and a few seats in North Chotanagpur (5). In the second phase, 20 seats in North Chotanagpur and 18 in Santhal Pargana will go to the polls.

The INDIA bloc aims to retain power, buoyed by its welfare schemes and the adivasi asmita (tribal pride) narrative. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), on the other hand, hopes to make a comeback, capitalising on allegations of non-performance and corruption against the Soren government. In the first phase, women voters outnumbered men by 4.8%. In fact, 37 of the 43 constituencies saw higher female voter turnout.

Phase 1 of polling in Jharkhand recorded a voter turnout of 66.65%, a 2.75 percentage point increase from the 2019 elections. Male voter turnout stood at 64.27%, while female turnout was 69.04%. The INDIA bloc has hailed the high turnout, claiming that women beneficiaries of the Maiyya Samman Yojana turned out in large numbers, giving them an edge. The NDA, however, attributes the high turnout to anti-incumbency sentiments.

I travelled through the state during Diwali and Chhath Puja and below are my findings.

The arrest of Chief Minister Hemant Soren has reignited the adivasi asmita (tribal pride) issue. In the 2024 general elections, tribals overwhelmingly voted against the NDA, with the INDIA bloc winning all five ST-reserved seats. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has successfully framed the narrative that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) jailed their popular Chief........

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