The newly formed government in the State today easily sailed through the floor test with a comfortable win of six votes than that of the required number. The JMM-Congress-RJD coalition bagged the support of 47 MLAs. The coalition has a strength of 47 MLAs in the Assembly while, the BJP has 26 MLAs, AJSU Party 3 MLAs, one MLA of NCP, one nominated member and two independent legislators are there in the 81-member House.
The opposition parties including BJP and AJSU Party could secure 29 votes against the motion with 25 votes of BJP, three votes of AJSU Party and one vote of NCP MLA Kamlesh Singh. Independent MLA Saryu Roy and Speaker Rabindranath Mahto did not cast their votes and two legislators were absent due to illness.
Governor CP Radhakrishnan had given 10 days’ time to the newly newly formed Champai Soren government to prove majority in the House. But, it cleared the trust vote in just four days of government formation.
Former CM Hemant Soren, who is presently in 5-day remand of the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged land grab case, was accompanied by ED officials to the Assembly. He was given special permission to participate in the floor test by the PMLA court.
As the House proceeding began at 11 am, Governor CP Radhakrishnan delivered his speech in the House amid ruling MLAs sloganeering, but he continued counting achievements of the government. The Speaker gave time to both ruling coalition and opposition party legislators to hold discussion on the confidence motion. CM Champai Soren and former CM Hemant Soren fiercely attacked the BJP and the Central government alleging them of staging a conspiracy against a democratically elected government.
Addressing the House former CM Hemant Soren said, “This is the first time in the country that a CM has been arrested on the night of 31st (January). It is not in my knowledge that such an incident has taken place earlier. This is the first incident. I believe Raj Bhawan was also involved in carrying out the incident.”
Warning the BJP, Soren said that whatever they did will prove to be a big mistake in the coming days. He further said that he has been arrested in connection with a land which is not in his name. “Today why have I been arrested for the scam of 8.5 acres of land? If you have courage then show the papers. If I get the paper, I will not only resign from politics but also leave Jharkhand. I will not shed tears. Our tears have no importance for you. Each of these questions will be answered when the time comes,” he said.
Earlier, 37 legislators of the ruling combine, who were staying at Hyderabad since February 2 and were under constant watch by the party so that they do not get trapped by opposition parties, returned to Ranchi on Sunday. The MLAs stayed at the circuit house for the night before coming to the Assembly. Finally, after the trust vote the MLAs were ‘released’ with a sigh of relief.
The trust vote was held due to former CM Hemant Soren’s arrest by ED on January 31 on charges of money laundering in the sale purchase of a prime land piece in the Capital City. After Hemant Soren’s resignation and arrest, Champai Soren was sworn in as new Chief Minister and two ministers of Congress and RJD quota were also inducted in the State Cabinet. After the floor test the Cabinet expansion is also likely to take place soon.
