Hemant Soren's disqualification makes Jharkhand politics unstable and vulnerable to horse trading
JJharkhand politics is now in focus as the Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's faces disqualification over an office-for-profit charge. In all likelihood Soren will have to leave the office along with his cabinet. But the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader can once again return as CM by either winning the by-elections. It is not for the first time a political leader has been disqualified. In the past many other such instances have taken place. In fact Hemant Soren's father, Shibu Soren was disqualified from the Rajya Sabha as he was holding an office of profit of chairman of the Jharkhand Area Autonomous Council. But Hemant Soren disqualification means that the whole state goes into political turmoil and the chances of horse trading loom large. A redux of Maharashtra and Delhi where MLAs were allegedly offered hefty sum of money to defect and form a new government.
The forming of governments by defection rather than election has now become a new normal and sadly touted as 'masterstroke' throwing morality and democratic norms to winds. Should that happen in Jharkhand, it would be a sad commentary on the state of politics that we are witnessing now with such impunity. It is not to condone the fact that the irregularities and nepotism in allocation of contracts have taken place in Jharkhand. The state has a long history of such incidents.Soren in 2019 had promised a pro-people administration in Jharkhand. He constituted a task force to investigate issues related to illegal mining. He repeatedly called for cleaning up the 'bad image' given to the state by the mining mafia. But got involved in all that he was trying to salvage. Jharkhand industry department headed by him handed out an 11-acre plot in Ranchi industrial complex to a firm headed by his wife to which he maintains that no rule was broken in the land allocation. The CM's defence that he surrendered the lease is an eyewash. Hemant Soren has severely undermined his position as Jharkhand CM. His party now is paying the cost of his follies and misadventures. However, destabilizing the government and then making a bid through defected MLAs isn't a saintly act either. If the situation so warrants an early election would be a better idea than calling a new dispensation with defected MLAs or Soren ruling by a proxy.