Ranchi, December 23: Within two-and-half hours of the counting of votes by Election Commission, the electoral water of Jharkhand looks a little clear. Though the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led alliance looks strong in the initial trends and is leading in 40 seats, incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party is trailing with 31 seats as of now. Among the major things that might sound surprising is the role of kingmaker which can either be played by All Jharkhand Students's Union's Sudesh Mahato and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik)'s Babulal Marandi.

As per to the details pouring in, JMM-led alliance with Congress and RJD is leading in the counting with 40 seats, while contesting alone, BJP is trailing at 31 seats. However, Sudesh Mahato's AJSU -- which was part of Raghubar Das government -- is leading in three seats. Reports state that by the end of counting AJSU manages to secure more than five seats and a fractured mandate seems visible, Mahato can play the role of kingmaker. It is to be known that previously in 2014, he was denied Deputy Chief Minister's post. Jharkhand Assembly Election Results 2019 Live News Updates.

Considering the position of Babulal Marandhi and his nearness to both the Congress and BJP, JVM-P has not opened its cards. So, if there is a fractured mandate and BJP needs support to form the government in the state, JVM-P too can play the role of a kingmaker like AJSU. However, with the reports coming from the coal mine-filled state, Congress is in touch with Marandi.

According to the recent tally in the counting, JMM and alliance are leading with 40 seats, BJP is trailing in 30 seats, Ajsu has gained three seats and JVM-P is leading with three seats. Other, are leading in four seats. In the previous Assembly polls, BJP had won 37 seats, which had made an alliance with AJSU and formed the government in the state. JMM had earlier won 19 seats, whiile its alliance Congress had won 7 seats. The majority mark to form the government in the state is 41 is the 81-member Assembly.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2019 10:41 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).