Legislators of the ruling JMM-Congress coalition in Jharkhand, who were camping at Raipur in neighbouring Chhattisgarh since August 30, arrived back in Ranchi ahead of the crucial trust vote in the state Assembly.
A chartered aircraft with 30 legislators, and some other leaders of the JMM and the Congress on board, took off from the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur and landed at Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi around 6 pm, PTI reported quoting an airport official.
Hemant Soren will seek a vote of trust during the special session of the Assembly on Monday, even as uncertainty remains over his fate as an MLA.
“A state of confusion is prevailing in Jharkhand. Our delegation met the Governor (on Thursday) and he assured us to clear the air in a day or two. But nothing has happened till now. Therefore, we will raise our points in the Assembly and prove our majority,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Alamgir Alam said.
The state has plunged into a political crisis after the Election Commission, reportedly, recommended the disqualification of Soren in an office-of-profit case. The commission has sent its opinion to Governor Ramesh Bais on August 25, but the Raj Bhavan is yet to take a decision on it.
The BJP, the petitioner in the case, had sought Soren's disqualification for violating Section 9 (A) of the Representation of the People Act. He is accused of violating electoral norms by extending a mining lease to himself.
The Congress and the JMM had moved its legislators to neighbouring Chhattisgarh to stave off any possible poaching bid by the BJP. They fear that the BJP may make a serious attempt to poach their MLAs in a bid to topple the government in a manner similar to Maharashtra and there is a need to ringfence the legislators in a safe haven.
The ruling coalition has 49 MLAs in the 81-member Assembly. The JMM, the largest party, has 30 MLAs, the Congress 18 legislators, and the RJD one. The main opposition BJP has 26 MLAs in the House.
