Ranchi: Polling in 16 assembly constituencies spread in six districts of Jharkhand passed off peacefully on Friday. 71% voting was registered in the evening, said Chief Election Officer Vinay Kumar Chaubey.
The campaign lasted over a month when Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed nine meetings, BJP president Amit Shah 11, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed six public meetings.
JDU and LJP, both partners in NDA contested against BJP candidates. BJP prevented entry of its controversial leaders Giriraj Singh and Ashwini Kumar Chaubey in Jharkhand. Bihar deputy chief minister, Sushil Kumar Modi was also not invited
Exit polls by two regional news channels predicted hung Jharkhand assembly claiming neither BJP nor JMM was getting over 41 seats in the 81 members House.
Chief Minister, Raghuwar Das in the evening hoped BJP would get an absolute majority and may invite it's old ally AJSU to follow coalition Dharma. 'Hamari hi Sarkar Banegi", said Raghuwar.
JMM president and former CM Hemant Soren who visited a snacks parlour in his constituency Dumka after polling was over too appeared confident and invited media persons to attend his swearing-in after the results were out on December 23.
In 2014 elections too, BJP did not get a majority as it had 37 MLAs. The government was formed with the support of five members of AJSU and defection by six JVM MLAs
JMM had won 19 seats, JVM 8, Congress six, AJSU five and others six MLAs.