FORMER Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren and 10 other leaders of the JMM-led coalition took oath as Ministers in the Hemant Soren Government after it won a trust vote in the Assembly amid a walkout by opposition members on Monday. A total of 45 MLAs, including nominated member Glen Joseph Galstaun, voted in favour of the confidence motion. BJP and AJSU legislators walked out of the House as the headcount for voting started. The BJP-led opposition has 24 legislators of the BJP party and three of the AJSU Party. After winning the trust vote, Hemant Soren said, “Today, everyone again got to witness the unity and strength of the ruling alliance.

 

I thank the Speaker and all the alliance MLAs.” He said the JMM-led alliance has been performing strongly since coming to power in 2019 by following the constitutional procedures and it was again witnessed during the day. During his speech on the confidence motion in the Assembly, the Chief Minister said, “One could see the conduct of BJP legislators after seeing me again in the House.” “The BJP doesn’t have any agenda for the state. The people of the country held a mirror to the BJP in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. In the upcoming Assembly elections, they will face strong resistance from the JMM-led alliance,” the CM said. Speaking on the confidence motion, Leader of Opposition Amar Bauri alleged that the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance government did not fulfill even a single promise in the last five years. Earlier, BJP legislators trooped into the well seeking Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto’s permission to allow MLA Bhanu Pratap Sahi to speak, which was turned down by the Speaker. Seventy-five MLAs were present in the Assembly during the voting. Independent legislator Saryu Roy abstained from voting.

 

After the trust vote, Jharkhand Governor C P Radhakrishnan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 11 leaders, including Champai Soren, at a function in the Raj Bhawan in the presence of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and other senior politicians of the JMM-led alliance and officials. After taking oath as a Minister, Champai Soren said, “Whatever I have done in a short span as the CM is before everyone. Now let’s see what responsibility is given to me.” Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Jharkhand High Court’s order granting bail to JMM leader Hemant Soren in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. The High Court had on June 28 granted bail to Soren, who on July 4 took oath as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand. Chief Minister of Jharkhand. Soren had resigned as CM shortly before his arrest on January 31 by the ED in the case.