'Mata-pita ka aashirwad sar pe rehna chahiye': Hemant Soren visits parents as JMM leads in Jharkhand polls

GIRIDIH: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren , as the JMM-led INDIA Bloc inches closer to forming the government in the state, visited his parents on Saturday evening to seek their blessings.

Arriving at the residence of JMM national president Shibu Soren in Ranchi, Soren was accompanied by his wife and party leader Kalpana Soren .

Speaking to ANI, he said, "Mata-Pita ka aashirwad sar pe rehna chahiye... Today I have taken the blessings of my parents."

Earlier, Kalpana Soren celebrated with party workers in Giridih, marking the alliance's strong lead.

The JMM-led INDIA bloc is leading in over 50 seats in the 81-member state assembly, while the BJP-led NDA trails with leads in 26 constituencies.

JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said, "I am delighted that we are moving forward on the issues we had taken up...There is only one slogan, 'Ek hi naara, Hemant dobara'...I will say this to the BJP let the local leaders stay in the local place. The outsiders (leaders) from Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Delhi, their infiltration should be stopped..."

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren-led JMM coalition secured a majority in the 81-member assembly on Saturday, a first since the creation of the state that a party or alliance has won polls after five years in power.

Jharkhand was founded on November 15, 2000.

The JMM-led alliance is set to return with 56 seats with JMM alone winning 34 seats. Its allies are poised to win 22 more seats - Congress 16, RJD 4 and CPI(ML) two.

While the opposition BJP is ahead or has won 21 seats, its allies AJSU Party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Janata Dal (United) have won one seat each. Polling was held for 81 seats in Jharkhand.

Hemant Soren retained the Barhait seat defeating BJP's Gamliyel Hembrom by a margin of 39,791 votes, according to the Election Commission. Soren secured 95,612 votes, while Hembrom got 55,821 votes.

Soren is now set to return as Chief Minister of Jharkhand at the helm of the JMM-led alliance.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren expressed his gratitude to the people of all communities and farmers, women and youth of the state for casting their votes in large numbers during the assembly elections.

"Today the results of the Jharkhand Assembly Election2024 have come...I want to thank the people of all communities and all the farmers, women and youth of the state for casting their votes with the majority and making this election successful...I also thank all the leaders who were there in the field and took the power of democracy to the people," Soren told reporters.