Ranchi: Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which had failed to win even a single seat in Jharkhand in 2014, was leading in four out of seven seats that it contested in the current assembly elections.
Party patron Lalu, has been imprisoned at a jail in Ranchi since last year after he was convicted in fodder scam case.
The RJD this time contested the Jharkhand assembly polls in alliance with the Jharkhand Multi Morcha (JMM) and the Congress where it was allotted a total of seven seats under the seat-sharing deal. According to early trends, the party is leading in Deoghar, Godda, Kodarma, Chattarpur, and Chatra.
In what could be seen as a positive sign for the RJD for the Bihar elections next year, where it will be locked in a battle with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United), all of these seats fall along the Bihar-Jharkhand border.
Overall, the Cong-JMM-RJD alliance was leading in 38 of the total 81 seats across the state — three shy of the majority figure. On the other hand, the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was ahead in 29 constituencies, as per trends till 11:30 am.
Among high-profile candidates, sitting chief minister Raghubar Das, who is also the first Jharkhand CM to complete a full five-year term, was leading in his stronghold of Jamshedpur East. Leader of the opposition alliance, Hemant Soren, who contested from two seats, was trailing in Dumka while leading from the Barhait constituency.
While the All Jharkhand Students’ Union (AJSU) party, NJP’s former ally, was ahead in four seats, Babulal Morandi’s Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) was leading in three constituencies.
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