Jharkhand: MLAs may be flown out of Ranchi as no decision on new govt yet

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Champai Soren on Thursday (February 1) said he has urged Governor CP Radhakrishnan to invite him to form the next government.

In his meeting, Champai Soren cited “a situation of confusion” in the state, which has been without a chief minister since the dramatic arrest of Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case on Wednesday evening.

Soren was accompanied by five MLA from the ruling alliance of JMM, Congress and RJD during his meeting with the governor at Raj Bhavan in Ranchi. He informed the governor that he had the backing of 43 MLAs from the alliance. “We stand united... all 43 MLAs are staying at Circuit House (a state government guesthouse). The governor assured us he will soon take a decision on our request,” he added.

As per media reports, the governor recognised Soren’s claim, but has not yet accepted it. This explains why a date and time for the swearing-in ceremony has not been announced so far.

Meanwhile, the MLAs backing Champai Soren have been herded together and are expected to be flown out of the state amid the ongoing political turmoil in the state. The move may mark the beginning of the “resort politics”.

Earlier in the day, state Congress chief Rajesh Thakur also told PTI, “We are unaware of the reasons for the delay in extending an invitation to us...If the Raj Bhavan delays in sending an invitation to the alliance to form a government, lawmakers will fly to Hyderabad in a bid to thwart any poaching attempt by the BJP,” Thakur said.

“Waiting for invite”

Champai earlier stated that he was waiting for an invite from the Raj Bhavan to form the government as he has the support of 47 MLAs in the 81-member Assembly.

The senior JMM leader said “Raj Bhavan should wake up from its slumber”. “We are waiting for 15-16 hours whereas oaths are administered within two hours of stake claim and invite in other states,” Champai told news agency PTI.

He apparently referred to Bihar where JD(U) president Nitish Kumar had on Sunday resigned as the chief minister of the Mahagathbandhan government and again took as the CM with the support of the BJP-led NDA the same day.

“We yesterday handed over a letter of support from 43 MLAs to the governor. Now we have the support of 47 legislators,” Champai said.

Buying BJP more time?

Sources in the ruling alliance confirmed to The Federal that the Governor had given an appointment to Champai and his coalition’s MLAs for Wednesday evening, following which it was expected that the time for swearing in the new CM will be decided. Congress MLA from Mahagama, Dipika Pandey Singh, however, claimed that the Governor “refused to meet” the JMM and Congress MLAs when they reached the Raj Bhawan.

A senior JMM lawmaker told The Federal that though the ruling alliance has the numbers to prove its majority, the “deliberate delay” in swearing in Champai as the new CM smacked of a “plot to allow the BJP more time to poach MLAs and topple the government”.

In his letter to the Governor, Champai has claimed that he has the support of 47 MLAs to form the government. The majority mark in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly is 41. The JMM, Congress and RJD have 29, 17, and one MLA while the Opposition BJP and its allies, the AJSU and Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction, have 26, three, and one MLA.

Soren’s arrest

A top official, who did not wish to be quoted, said: “It (state without CM) is a constitutional crisis...it is unnatural.” However, on being asked whether it is a constitutional crisis, Principal Secretary to the Governor Nitin Madan Kulkarni replied: “What crisis is there?”

Hemant Soren was arrested after a marathon seven hours of grilling by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. He was taken to the ED office where he will undergo a medical check-up, officials said.

Soren tendered his resignation to Governor CP Radhakrishnan at the Raj Bhavan, where he went along with alliance legislators.

“Hemant Soren has resigned as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand. The ruling JMM-Congress-RJD alliance has proposed the name of senior JMM leader Champai Soren as the new CM,” state Congress president Rajesh Thakur said.

“We have staked a claim to form the new government with the support of 47 MLAs,” JMM legislative party leader Champai Soren told reporters.

Earlier, the legislators gathered at Hemant Soren’s residence elected the transport minister Champai Soren as the leader of the JMM legislative party with the party spokesperson Vinod Pandey saying that a consensus was reached on his name.

Who is Champai Soren?

A legislator from the Seraikela assembly constituency for more than three decades since 1991, Champai Soren is known to be a loyalist of JMM supremo Shibu Soren.

Born in November 1956 at Jilinggora village in Jharkhand’s Seraikela-Kharsawan district, Champai Soren is a matriculate and father of seven children. He is the son of a farmer and is not related to the Hemant Soren's family.

Sources claimed 48-year-old Hemant Soren was “evasive” in his replies during ED questioning and hence was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

15 questions from ED

The ED is expected to produce Soren before a special PMLA court here and the agency will seek his remand for custodial interrogation, the sources said.

Sources said the agency put across 15 questions to Soren during the second round of questioning in the case. He was first quizzed on January 20.

The JMM leader was shown the typed statements he recorded with the agency and before taking him in custody, his signatures were sought on these documents.

It was, however, not clear if he signed them.

The allegations of money laundering against the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader pertain to the alleged illegal possession of certain immovable assets apart from his purported links with members of the “land mafia”.

(With agency inputs)