Barely 105 days after President's Rule was imposed in Jharkhand, the Centre on Friday initiated steps to dissolve the legislative Assembly paving way for mid-term election in July.
Jharkhand Governor Syed Ahmed is understood to have sent his recommendation to the Union Home Ministry after no party came forward to stake claim to form an alternative government. The Home Ministry is preparing a note to be submitted for approval of the Union Cabinet.
"The Union Cabinet will hold a meeting soon to take the decision and the election is likely to be held in July before the six-month term of the President's rule ends on July 18," they said.
The Government took the decision to go for fresh elections as the Congress high command was not in favour of forming a Government with the JMM, which toppled BJP Government.
Though MlAs of both JMM and Congress had repeatedly met the party leaders insisting that the Congress should take initiative to form the government in the State, sources said that Congress president Sonia Gandhi was not very keen to form an alliance government, sources said.
The Congress, which had faced flak over giving support to independent MlA Madhu Koda to form the government who was later jailed for being involved in major mining scam, was apprehensive over going with scam tainted JMM leader Shibu Soren.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had earlier faced embarrassment and had to direct Soren to quit as the coal minister in 2004 after arrest warrants were issued against the latter in connection with the Chiruddih massacre case, was also against forming government with JMM, according to sources.
The State came under President's Rule on January 18 after the BJP-led coalition Government reduced to minority following the JMM withdrawal of support from the government on January 8, 2013. The then Chief Minister Arjun Munda called a Cabinet meeting ahead of the support withdrawal and recommended for Assembly dissolution that day itself. However, the recommendation was not accepted by the Governor apparently on the ground that the government had been reduced to minority before it took the crucial decision.
The BJP, however, tried to prove brawny point with the Centre's move to dissolve the House. The Congress went into tizzy after the party threatened to make its legislators resign from the Assembly to protest the delay in dissolving the house, said former CM Arjun Munda.
The 82 member House has 18 members of the BJP and JMM each, 13 members of the Congress, 11 of the JVM, 6 of the AJSU Party, 5 of the RJD, 2 of the JD (U) , 8 independents and one nominated member.