Guwahati: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has been disqualified as an MLA by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday due to a mining case.
The development occurred just hours after Soren presided over a meeting at his Ranchi home with legislators and a minister from the coalition in power, which is led by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), to resolve the political crisis that has engulfed the state.
Hemant Soren will now have to run in a by-election within six months, win it, and make sure his party nominates him as the leader if he wants to keep his position as Chief Minister of Jharkhand.
The EC’s opinion regarding Soren’s “disqualification” as an MLA was expected to be decided by Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais on Friday, according to an earlier notification from the Raj Bhavan.
Soren has been accused of breaking Section 9(A) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which deals with disqualification for government contracts, according to the petitioner in the case, the BJP.
The clause states that “a person shall be disqualified if, and for so long as, there subsists a contract entered into by him in the course of his trade or business with the appropriate Government for the supply of goods to, or for the execution of any works undertaken by, that Government.”
The JMM expressed confidence that Soren would serve out the remainder of his tenure as chief minister until 2024 as a member of the UPA alliance and the largest party in the parliament with 30 MLAs.