At a time when Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais is yet to take a call on the Election Commission of India’s decision in the office of profit case against Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the ECI is said to have sent its decision to the Governor on CM’s younger brother Basant Soren in a similar case on September 09. The ECI had earlier reserved its order in the case after hearing on August 22.
Notably, the Jharkhand BJP unit had complained to the Election Commission that the junior Soren had concealed the fact of taking mining lease in his affidavit given to the commission at the time of Assembly elections 2019. After the complaint the Governor had sent the matter to the Election Commission, which was hearing the case through the lawyers of both the parties.
Sources said that both CM Hemant Soren and his brother, an MLA from Dumka constituency, are likely to lose their membership of the State Assembly after the Governor sends his recommendation back to the ECI.
Earlier, on August 25 a letter sent by the ECI to the Governor mentioning its decision in the office of profit case against Chief Minister Hemant Soren reached the Raj Bhawan. Media reports on the issue raised the political temperature in the State, although there was no word on the letter by the Governor.
Fearing horse trading of its MLAs the UPA called several meetings of its legislative body and the legislators were taken on a picnic near the Capital city. Later, on August 30, 32 MLAs were flown to Raipur in a special flight, where they stayed till September 4, a step the JMM termed “precautionary” to avoid horse trading.
Meanwhile, a delegation of UPA MPs and senior leaders also met the Governor on September 1 and urged him to clear air over the issue. The Governor assured the delegation that he would make things clear very soon (in 2 days). However, on September 2, Bais suddenly went to Delhi and returned only on September 8.
The ruling UPA also called a special Assembly Session on September 5, where a Vote of Confidence was held to show the strength of the ruling coalition. While the BJP protested the move and staged a walk out from the House, Hemant Soren won the trust vote by 48-0.
The JMM and Congress party have been repeatedly urging the Governor to clear the confusion in the matter by making public his recommendations to the Election Commission, but no word has come out from the Raj Bhawan yet.