Ranchi, Nov 23 (IANS) The counting of votes for all 81 assembly seats in Jharkhand began at 8 a.m. on Saturday. By 5 p.m, the state will know which party or alliance will form the next government. Trends are expected to start emerging from 9:30 a.m.

The process started with the opening of strongroom locks in the presence of election returning officers, special observers from the Election Commission, and representatives of the candidates.

The EVM and postal ballot boxes were transferred to counting tables at 7:30 a.m. under tight security and videographic surveillance. CCTV cameras have been installed at all counting centers to ensure transparency.

A minimum of 41 seats is required to form a government in the state. In 2019, the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance, led by Hemant Soren, secured 47 seats to form the government. This year, the battle is between the NDA and INDIA bloc.

Of the NDA, BJP contested 68 seats, AJSU Party10, JD(U) 2 and LJP (R) 1 seat.

From the INDIA bloc, JMM contested 43 seats, Congress 30, RJD 6, and CPI (ML) 4 seats.

There are also friendly fights between alliance partners on seats like Bishrampur, Chhatarpur, and Dhanwar.

The fate of 1,211 candidates will be decided on Saturday, including prominent figures such as Chief Minister Hemant Soren (Barhait), Former CM Champai Soren (Saraikela), state BJP president and former CM Babulal Marandi (Rajdhanwar), Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri (Chandankiyari), Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato (Nala), JMM’s star campaigner Kalpana Soren (Gandey) and AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto (Silli).

Several ministers in Hemant Soren's government, along with notable political family members like Meera Munda (wife of ex-CM Arjun Munda), Geeta Koda (wife of ex-CM Madhu Koda), and Hemant Soren’s relatives Basant and Sita Soren, are also in the fray.

State Chief Electoral Officer K. Ravi Kumar said that counting rounds will vary across constituencies, with a minimum of 13 rounds in Torpa and Littipara, and a maximum of 27 rounds in Chatra. Although, the official deadline for completing the election process is November 25, efforts are being made to conclude all formalities by November 24.

The state conducted polling in two phases, on November 13 and 20, with a voter turnout of 67.74 per cent. This figure excludes postal ballots.

A total of 1,76,81,007 voters participated, with women voters outnumbering men by 5,51,797.