Champai takes oath as Jharkhand CM; Hemant in five-day ED custody

Champai Soren won the Assembly election in 1995 from the Saraikela seat as an Independent when Jharkhand was still part of Bihar

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislature party leader Champai Soren was sworn in as the chief minister of Jharkhand on Friday on a day former CM Hemant Soren was remanded to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for five days.

Political uncertainty prevailed in the state for the last two days and the JMM-led coalition government will seek a vote of confidence on February 5. Governor C P Radhakrishnan also administered the oath of office on Friday to two ministers, senior Congress leader Alamgir Alam and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Satyanand Bhokta. The two parties are constituents of the JMM-led government.
 

After the swearing in, 38 legislators of the ruling alliance were flown to Hyderabad, the capital of Congress-ruled Telangana, to prevent any attempts at engineering defections. "We will take forward welfare schemes launched by Hemant Soren. We will continue the fight for 'Jal, Jungle, Jameen' (water, forest, land) for all-round development of tribals and others," Champai Soren said after taking the oath.
 

The ED had arrested Hemant in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land fraud and sought his remand for 10 days on Thursday. The ED arrested Soren on Wednesday.
 

The JMM-led alliance has 47 legislators in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly and is supported from outside by the lone CPIML (L) legislator.
 

Champai Soren, 67, is a close associate of JMM leader Shibu Soren and a veteran of the movement to demand a separate state of Jharkhand. Born in 1956, Soren studied till class tenth and joined the movement in the 1970s, where he came to be known as the “Tiger of Kolhan”. Champai Soren mobilised people for the cause, leading several protests, including one in Jamshedpur for the rights of unorganised labourers.
 

Champai won the Assembly election in 1995 from the Saraikela seat as an Independent when Jharkhand was still part of Bihar. He lost the subsequent election five years later to a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate. He won the last four Assembly elections from the seat. He has handled the transport and welfare portfolios. His seniority and proximity to Shibu and Hemant helped in finding support from party legislators for his candidature, a Congress leader from Jharkhand said.