CM Hemant Soren to seek trust vote today amid Jharkhand political crisis

Amidst the political uncertainty in the state, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren will seek a trust vote in the special one-day Jharkhand Assembly Session on Monday.

The session has been called after the Jharkhand Cabinet recently approved the motion to hold a special Assembly session on Monday. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) MLAs staying in Raipur resort flew back to Ranchi on Sunday to attend this special session.

Notably, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and its allies shifted their MLAs to a resort in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh last week amid fears of poaching.

Sources said those who went to Raipur include 13 from Congress including four ministers and 18 MLAs of JMM.

Soon after the return of the MLAs from Raipur, CM Soren met them at the circuit house.

The legislators spend the night at the circuit house and will depart at 10 am in the morning for a one-day session at the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly.

According to government sources, the ruling alliance will bring the confidence motion in favour of Soren in the House today.

However, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had denied that he was harbouring the Jharkhand UPA MLAs in his state and trying to save the Jharkhand government.

On asked about the Jharkhand UPA MLAs in Raipur, Baghel said, "Who am I to save anyone (Jharkhand govt)? ...They are guests in my state."

The statement comes days after CM Baghel said the UPA coalition government in Jharkhand shifted its MLAs to Raipur to protect them from being poached in view of the BJP's "horse-trading" tactics.

Notably, a political crisis emerged in Jharkhand after a petition by the BJP sought Soren's disqualification from the Assembly in an office of profit case.

Soren could be disqualified as an MLA, nearly 31 MLAs and ministers of the ruling coalition in Jharkhand were in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur.

Soren told the reporters at the Ranchi airport that the ruling alliance is prepared to face every situation.

"No unforeseen incident is going to take place. We are ready for everything, the situation is under control. I will let you know if I will go with the MLAs", he said.

The BJP has sought the disqualification of Soren as an MLA accusing him of allocating a mining lease to himself while he held the state Mining portfolio in 2021.

In February this year, the BJP submitted a memorandum to the state Governor Ramesh Bais seeking disqualification of Soren from the House under Section 9(A) of the Representation of People's Act.

The Governor had forwarded the BJP complaint to the ECI and the poll panel in May had issued a notice to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader.