National Desk, 5th February: Jharkhand witnesses political unrest as newly sworn-in Chief Minister Champai Soren faces a critical trust vote on February 5, following the arrest of former Chief Minister Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate.
The state finds itself in the midst of upheaval as Chief Minister Champai Soren and his government seek a vote of confidence in the state assembly amid the aftermath of Hemant Soren’s arrest on money laundering charges. Despite the arrest, a special PMLA court granted Hemant Soren permission to attend the trust vote, acknowledging his status as a member of the assembly.
Champai Soren assumed office after Hemant Soren’s arrest, linked to a money laundering case associated with a land fraud incident. The trust vote is pivotal for Champai Soren’s government to secure majority support in the state legislature.
The ruling coalition, comprising Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress, and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), holds 47 MLAs in the 81-member assembly, with external support from one CPI(ML)(L) legislator. The opposition, led by the BJP, poses a formidable challenge with 25 MLAs, along with the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) party, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), CPI(ML)(L), and three Independents.
Amid reports of shielding MLAs against poaching attempts, 37 MLAs from the ruling coalition returned from Hyderabad. The bus carrying MLAs arrived at Vidhan Sabha, accompanied by Chief Minister Champai Soren. Despite objections from the Enforcement Directorate, the arrested former Chief Minister, Hemant Soren, participated in the floor test at the state assembly in Ranchi. The Ranchi BJP issued a whip to their MLAs, strategizing for the crucial trust vote.