Former chief minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) executive president Hemant Soren was elected as leader of ruling INDIA bloc leader in Assembly, paving the way to once become the chief minister of State. Soren was elected as INDIA bloc (JMM, Congress, RJD and Left) leader after he called the ruling alliance partners meeting. Today was Soren's first meeting after he was released from jail on bail in an alleged land scam.
Apart from Soren, alliance partner leaders including Congress in-charge of the State Ghulam Ahmad Mir, State Congress president Rajesh Thakur leaders and legislators of INDIA bloc allies were present in the meeting. Sources said that in the meeting there was consensus among INDIA bloc leaders over the change of guard and making Hemant Soren as Chief Minister of the State again. Hemant will be 13th Chief Minister of State.
The INDIA bloc leaders were euphoric on change of guard claiming that under Hemant Soren the ruling alliance will become stronger.
“A decision was taken at the meeting that Hemant Soren will be the Chief Minister of the State again,” said Congress MLA from Jamtara Irfan Ansari to local media persons in Capital.
Sources said that the INDIA bloc leaders will stake claim before Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan who is likely to reach Ranchi on Wednesday evening. Some of the ruling alliance legislators wished Mr. Soren to take oath as Chief Minister “even tonight if Governor gets ready or by tomorrow.
In the total 81-member Jharkhand State Assembly, the JMM-led INDIA bloc strength, after the recently held Lok Sabha poll, has become 45 from 47 (JMM-27, Congress-17 and RJD-1). The BJP’s strength in the State Assembly is 24 as two of its legislators Dhulu Mahto (Baghmara in Dhanbad) and Manish Jaiswal (Hazaribagh) were elected as party MPs.
The meeting assumes importance as this is first time that Hemant will be meeting all MLAs of INDIA bloc, though he had met several MLAs after his release from jail on bail.
The last time Hemant Soren had called a meeting of the legislature party of INDIA alliance was on the day he was arrested on January 31.
The MLAs were asked to sign and authorise the then chief minister Hemant Soren to take any decision in eventuality of any action by ED against the latter. Soren then had designated Champai Soren as his successor.
Soren resigned as chief minister on January 31, minutes before he was arrested by the federal agency, and passed on the baton to Champai Soren. As he languished in jail, his party won three Lok Sabha seats this year, two more than its tally in 2019; its partner, the Congress, won two. The BJP-led NDA won nine of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state, three less than 2019. All the five seats won by the JMM-Congress combine in the state this time are reserved for scheduled tribes.
