Jharkhand trust vote on February 5, MLAs shifted to Hyderabad

 The Champai Soren-led coalition government in Jharkhand will seek trust vote on February 5, minister Alamgir Alam said on Friday (February 2) after a Cabinet meeting.

JMM legislature party leader Champai Soren took oath as the chief minister earlier in the day. "The floor test to prove majority by the JMM-led alliance in the state will be held on February 5 on the first day of a two-day assembly session," Alam told PTI.

The decision was taken in the first cabinet meeting of the government, chaired by Chief Minister Champai Soren.

Soren was administered the oath of office by Governor C P Radhakrishnan at the Raj Bhavan in Ranchi.

Along with him, senior Congress leader Alamgir Alam and RJD leader Satyanand Bhokta took oath as ministers.

MLAs shifted to Hyderabad

Meanwhile, the MLAs of the ruling JMM-led alliance in Jharkhand were flown to Hyderabad on Friday amid the coalition's fears that BJP may attempt to "poach" them in the run-up to the trust vote to be faced by the newly-formed Champai Soren government.

About 40 legislators arrived at the Begumpet airport in two flights, Congress sources said. AICC Telangana in-charge Deepa Das Munshi and state Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar received the MLAs.

It was not immediately known where the ruling coalition MLAs would be accommodated.

Can't take any chances

A senior leader of the ruling coalition had said in Ranchi that the decision to shift the legislators to Hyderabad, capital of the Congress-ruled Telangana, was taken considering that the opposition BJP may make attempts to "poach" them.

"We were given 10 days to prove the government's majority. We can’t take any chance during the period as the BJP might try to contact our MLAs," the senior leader said.

A video released by the JMM-led coalition on Thursday showed the support of 43 legislators in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly.

Champai Soren takes oath as CM

Earlier on Friday, Champai Soren, the former transport minister, took oath as the chief minister of the state.

Champai Soren became the leader of the JMM legislature party after Hemant Soren resigned as chief minister on Wednesday night after the ED quizzed and arrested him in a money laundering case.

(With agency inputs)