Jharkhand bids 2014 goodbye with stable mandate

After 14 years of uncertain and fragile alliances ruling Jharkhand, the electorate gave the BJP-Ajsu coalition an absolute majority in 2014 with new Chief Minister Raghubar Das saying the assembly election mandate was for stability and development.
The third assembly elections, spanned over five phases, gave Jharkhand its 10th government on December 28 after the previous Houses saw nine regimes since the foundation of the state on November 15, 2000.
"In the past 14 years, Jharkhand has become infamous. Give me time to put the state on the fast track of development," Das said.
The state has seen five chief ministers - Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda (thrice), Shibu Soren (thrice), Madhu Koda and Hemant Soren - heading nine governments.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed several rallies, appealing to the people to end instability in the state and usher in development that could put Jharkhand in top bracket of developed states.
Though fragile governments tend to encourage Maoist activities, Naxal-related deaths, till October declined with 130 killings (seven policemen, 77 civilians and 46 Naxalites) compared to last year which recorded 211 deaths (36 policemen, 126 civilians and 49 Naxalites, according to police records).

The casualties of Naxalites also included killing each other in turf wars. The police records say Jharkhand has 19 Naxal outfits, including CPI (Maoist), People's Liberation Front of India and other splinter groups.

Maoists blew up a vehicle carrying polling and police personnel in Dumka in the third and final phase of polling in the Lok Sabha elections on April 24, inflicting eight casualties.
The police also made some important arrests in the Naxal ranks.