JMM executive president Hemant Soren will be sworn in as Jharkhand chief minister at Raj Bhavan on Thursday, completing his five-month arc since January. The leader of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha quit his post a minute before his arrest by the Enforcement Department in a land fraud case worth crores. In June, Soren was granted bail by a High Court that said the records do not indicate his “direct involvement” in the alleged scam.
Earlier, JMM said Soren would take the oath as chief minister on July 7 after Governor CP Radhakrishnan invited him to form the government in the state. “The governor has invited Soren to form government in the state and sought a date and time for the swearing-in ceremony,” a Raj Bhavan official said.
However, the JMM-led alliance that unanimously elected Hemant Soren as the legislature party leader decided that Soren would take the oath on Thursday. He is expected to take the oath at 5 p.m..
As per the reports by PTI, Congress state unit president Rajesh Thakur said that the decision was taken in a meeting of coalition partners at Soren’s residence here.
“Governor CP Radhakrishnan will administer the oath and office of secrecy to Hemant Soren at 5 p.m. at Raj Bhavan,” the official said.
Notably, Champai Soren resigned as chief minister on Wednesday, and Hemant Soren, who is out on bail in a money laundering case, staked claim to form the government.
The Arrest
On January 29, ED officials conducted a search at Soren’s residence, seizing Rs 36 lakh in cash and a BMW X7 worth over Rs. 1 crore. The ED issued multiple summonses, with the latest asking him to appear for questioning on either January 29 or January 31.
After the search operation, the BJP claimed Soren had gone ‘missing,’ but he reappeared in Ranchi on January 30. As of 8 p.m. on January 31, the ED started questioning Soren for over five hours.
After his arrest by the ED, Hemant Soren submitted his resignation on January 31, leaving the state without a Chief Minister by midnight on February 1. The ruling alliance then elected Champai Soren as the leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, with support from the majority of the members of the JMM.
Champai Shows Disappointment, BJP Reacts
Expressing his disappointment openly in the coalition meeting, JMM’s legislature party, Champai Soren, who may be the Executive President, said he had been “insulted.” “When the leadership changed, I was given responsibility. You know the sequence of events. After Hemant Soren came back, we picked him as our leader, and I resigned. I am following the decision taken by the coalition,” he said.
Champai Soren is a veteran leader who has been a close aide of JMM founder and Rajya Sabha MP Shibu Soren for decades. Hemant Soren is Shibu Soren’s son.
Finding the right opportunity, Nishikant Dubey, the MP from Godda, attacked the party, saying that the Champai Soren era is over. He wrote on X, “In the family-oriented party, people outside the family have no political future… I wish the Chief Minister (Champai Soren) stood up against the corrupt Hemant Sorenji.”.
Assam Chief Minister and BJP’s co-in charge for the state said, ”The removal of a senior tribal leader as Chief Minister… is deeply distressing,” Mr. Sarma, who is the BJP’s co-in charge of the state, said.
