Jharkhand Mukti Morcha legislative party leader Champai Soren will be sworn in as the chief minister on Friday, a day after Jharkhand Governor C P Radhakrishnan invited him to form the government. The move comes amid political unrest in the state over the resignation of former chief minister Hemant Soren and subsequent arrest by the ED.
Champai Soren, who met the governor with four other MLAs, had urged the Governor to accept his claim at the earliest as there was "confusion" in the state, which was without a chief minister. "There is no government for 18 hours. There is a situation of confusion. Being the constitutional head, we expect you will soon take steps for the formation of a popular government," read a letter handed over to the governor.
Soren later told reporters that the coalition stands united. "Our alliance is very strong. No one can break it," he said. "We told the governor that I have already submitted the letter of support required for the formation of the new government and he should soon start the process for the same," Champai Soren added.
He has been mandated to prove his majority through a floor test within 10 days. Soren claims to have the support of 43 MLAs in the 81-member Assembly. Congress is a key constituent of the alliance. The JMM also released a video in which all 43 legislators were present to show the coalition's strength.
State Congress chief Rajesh Thakur told PTI that Soren will take the oath before Friday afternoon. "We will ensure that it is taken by noon on Friday before the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra enters the state," Thakur added.
Reacting sharply to the delay in appointing Champai Soren as the Chief Minister, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said: "In the House of 81 MLAs, only 41 form a majority. Despite having the support of 48 MLAs, not inviting Champai Soren ji to form the government is clearly contempt of the Constitution and denial of public mandate."
In a post in Hindi on X, he added: "Nails are being hammered in the coffin of Indian democracy by His Excellencies", in an apparent reference to the role of governors in states.
The swearing-in comes amid fears with ruling coalition that the opposition BJP could poach its MLAs., Though the JMM had hired two chartered planes to fly its MLAs to Hyderabad, the move failed as the planes could not take off due to visibility issues. Hyderabad is the capital of Telangana which is governed by the Congress. The MLAs, who waited for around two hours at the airport, returned to the Circuit House here, where they had been staying.
