July 13, 2013, Saturday, the day when ninth Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren took oath of office in the famous Birsa Mandap inside the Raj Bhawan. Outside the Raj Bhawan, the settings and huge celebrations reminded many of November 15, 2000 when Jharkhand was carved out as a separate State.
At Raj Bhawan oath taking ceremony for Hemant Soren was scheduled at 9.30 a.m. IST on Saturday. However the exhilarated supporters of the new coalition government started hovering around the Governor’s official residence as early as 6.30am. Raj Bhawan sources informed that they had made arrangement of as many as 1500 people.
Those who had managed entry-passes made it into the Raj Bhawan. Hundreds of others waited outside the Raj Bhawan Gate. “Bina pass ke andar nhi jane de rahe hain. (Security personnel are not letting us go inside without passes),” is what a JMM supporter was overheard saying who was disallowed entry into Raj Bhawan for want of passes. Traffic from the road contouring the Raj Bhawan was partially diverted.
Around 9:27am Hemant appeared for administration of oath. Supporters of the JMM, Congress and RJD hovered around him raising slogans. One RJD supporter became center of attraction with a lantern – the election symbol of the RJD - tied atop his head. Dressed in green he had come to celebrate and support the oath taking of RJD MlA Annapurna Devi. Devi took oath as the RJD MlA. It was 9:39am when the Governor said, “Mai (I)”….and Hemant read out the oath script. And officially the celebrations rolled on.
From Raj Bhawan to Sorens’ (both junior and senior) residences each inch of the road was covered with swathe of exhausted crackers and paper pieces the crackers were wrapped in. Countless number of packs of crackers each with 240 shoots exhausted within 30 minutes of oath taking ceremony. “I am reminded of the celebrations when the State was formed 13 years back,” was the spontaneous reaction of one of the security personnel on duty at senior Soren’s home.
The settings of State capital were customised to the colour and the tune of the JMM. Giant hoardings with photos of junior and senior Sorens caught eye balls. The party’s green coloured flag were put on every electricity pole. The celebrations around the Raj Bhawan got royal tinge with a hoard of seven camels taking round from 10 am till 4pm. The camels’ hoard was accompanied by a group of locale clad in traditional clothes performing traditional tribal dance.
“We have been asked by leaders of Congress party to come here with our camels. We will take the round of the Raj Bhawan throughout the day for which we have been paid Rs 20, 000,” said one of the members of the crew.