Jharkhand governor invites Champai Soren to take oath as CM; swearing in likely today

Jharkhand Governor C P Radhakrishnan on Thursday (February 1) nominated JMM legislative party leader Champai Soren as the chief minister and invited him to take the oath, capping a day of fast-paced developments.

The nomination took place hours after Soren urged the governor to accept his claim to form the government at the earliest as there was "confusion" in the state which was without a chief minister since the resignation of Hemant Soren on Wednesday, deepening the political crisis.

“We have invited him to take the oath. Now they will decide when to take the oath,” the Governor's Principal Secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni told PTI.

Champai Soren has been given 10 days to prove his government's majority, state Congress chief Rajesh Thakur said.

Congress is a key constituent of the alliance.

Swearing in by Friday noon: Sources

Asked when the new chief minister will take the oath, Thakur told PTI: "We will ensure that it is taken by noon on Friday before the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra enters the state."

Amid concerns over the delay in the appointment of Champai Soren as the next chief minister by the governor, the majority alliance had also taken steps to shift its MLAs from Jharkhand in two chartered planes, in a bid to ring-fence them against a possible poaching attempt by the BJP.

The alliance had planned to take its MLAs to Hyderabad from Ranchi. Hyderabad is the capital of Telangana which is governed by the Congress.

However, the planes could not take off due to poor visibility, airport sources said.

The MLAs, who waited for around two hours at the airport, returned to the Circuit House, where they had been staying.

"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 told reporters after the meeting with the governor earlier in the day.

We stand united: Champai Soren

Champai Soren, who had gone with four other alliance legislators to meet Radhakrishnan, also said that the governor had assured them that he would take a decision soon on their request for the government formation.

"We stand united. Our alliance is very strong. No one can break it," he asserted.

The JMM also released a video in which 43 legislators were present to show the coalition strength in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly.

Earlier in the day, the JMM legislative party leader also wrote to the governor, saying: "Hemant Soren had tendered his resignation as the chief minister on Wednesday night, which was accepted by the Raj Bhavan at 8.45 pm.

Hemant Soren was arrested by the ED on Wednesday in a money laundering case after he resigned as Jharkhand chief minister.

"There is no government in existence in the state for the last 18 hours. There is a situation of confusion. You are the constitutional head. We all the MLAs and the people expect that you will pave the way for the formation of a popular government...," Champai Soren's letter read.

Meanwhile, Hemant Soren, who was produced before the special PMLA court in Ranchi, was sent to judicial custody for a day.

He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday after over seven hours of questioning on money laundering charges in an alleged land fraud case. Before the arrest, he tendered his resignation as Jharkhand chief minister.

The 48-year-old leader has also moved the Supreme Court challenging his arrest and the matter has been posted for hearing on Friday.

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.

(With inputs from agencies)