Hemant Soren set to return as Jharkhand CM as BJP loses yet another state

JMM-Cong-RJD alliance leads in 40 seats; Raghubar Das loses his seat, resigns as chief minister

Jharkhand on Monday became the seventh state since the Karnataka Assembly polls in May 2018 where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has either failed to secure a majority or lost power, indicating its weakening grasp over the states even as it resoundingly won the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The trend has also underscored the importance of local issues, including of economic slowdown and job losses, overtaking such national issues as scrapping of Article 370, building of Ram temple in Ayodhya and Citizenship Amendment Act.  

As counting of votes to the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly elections was drawing to a close on