The votes for the Jharkhand assembly elections are being counted today with various exit polls predicting a victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies. Jharkhand, which voted in two phases -- November 13 for 43 seats and November 20 for 38 seats - witnessed an overall voter turnout of 67.74 per cent, which was 1.65 per cent higher than the 2019 poll figures.

The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) of Chief Minister Hemant Soren fought in 41 assembly seats and gave others its allies - Congress (30 seats), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) (6), and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (4).

The Opposition BJP contested 68 seats, while its allies All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) fought in 10, the Janata Dal (United) in two, and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) in one.

Of the eight Opinion Polls for Jharkhand, three have predicted a change of guard with NDA victory. Chanakya Strategies have given NDA 45-50 seats and People's Pulse 44-53 seats. Times Now-JVC also expects an NDA win in Jharkhand with 40-44 seats and 30-40 for the INDIA bloc.

But Axis My India and Electoral Edge seem equally convinced about an INDIA Bloc victory.

Dainik Bhaskar and P Marq have predicted a hung house.

In the 2019 assembly elections, the contest was close, with the JMM winning 30 seats and the BJP securing 25, down from 37 in 2014. The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance won a comfortable majority with 47 seats.

This time too, the INDIA bloc hopes to retain power, riding on its welfare schemes like the women-oriented Maiya Samman Yojana and the outrage among tribals over the arrest of Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a corruption case.

In 2019 too, the tribals had voted overwhelmingly against the NDA. In the Lok Sabha election, the BJP won eight of the state's 14 seats, down from 11 in 2019.

The NDA is hoping to make a comeback, with the allegations of non-performance and corruption against the Soren government.