BJP's Lois Marandi Leads In Dumka, Ex-Jharkhand Chief Minister Trails

Jharkhand election results: The BJP's Lois Marandi is leading in Dumka

BJP leader Lois Marandi is leading in the Dumka seat as all leads are in for the Jharkhand election. Former chief minister and JMM chief Hemant Soren is trailing in this seat. Ms Marandi is the Cabinet Minister for Minority Welfare, Social Welfare, Women and Child Development.

Hemant Soren, the son of three-time chief minister Shibu Soren, had earlier served in the position between 2013 and 2014.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Congress alliance have pulled ahead of the ruling BJP as votes for the Jharkhand election are being counted.

At least three exit polls have forecast a victory for the Congress-JMM-Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alliance. The JMM had fielded candidates in 43 seats, the Congress in 31 seats and the RJD in seven seats in the 81-member assembly, for which elections were held in five phases.

In a video statement in Hindi before the results were counted, Mr Soren said, "My thanks to all for participating in the Jharkhand election. In this war of change, I had the opportunity to join you through 182 meetings. I also thank the workers of the JMM family for their efforts to help the party win."

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das of the BJP is leading in Jamshedpur East, while the Congress' national spokesperson Gaurav Vallabh and former BJP leader Saryu Roy, who is fighting as an independent after the party denied him a ticket, are trailing.

As the BJP seeks a second term under Mr Das, the party faces a tough challenge from the JMM-Congress alliance and Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

In the 2014 state elections, the BJP had won 37 seats while the All Jharkhand Students Union won five. The Congress was reduced to just six seats. This time, the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) snapped ties with the BJP and contested the election solo.