Jharkhand: Ruling coalition delegation meets Governor amid deepening political crisis

Leaders of Jharkhand’s ruling JMM-Congress coalition met Governor Ramesh Bais on Thursday evening amid uncertainty over Hemant Soren’s continuation as the Chief Minister.

The development comes a day after 41 UPA legislators landed in Raipur in the neighbouring state of Chhattisgarh, where they were put up in a resort amid fears of horse-trading.

The ruling coalition, constituting the JMM, Congress, and the RJD, has 49 MLAs in the 81-member state Assembly.

The MLAs have complained that “leaks” from the Governor’s office” are causing the commotion and in a letter, requested that he “clear the air”, according to an NDTV report.

“The purported selective leaks from Your Excellency’s office are creating a state of chaos, confusion and uncertainty which vitiates the administration and governance of the state. This also encourages political brinkmanship to destabilise the democratically elected government headed by Hemant Soren by illegal means,” the letter read.

The letter mentioned that the ruling coalition has adequate numbers so the disqualification of the Chief Minister will not affect the government, but it requested the Governor to “declare the opinion (if any) received from the Election Commission.”

Meanwhile, Congress working president Bandhu Tirkey reportedly told media persons that the Governor has denied that the leaks are from his office and has assured that he would provide clarity on the situation within two days, wrote the NDTV.

“The Chief Minister is not resigning. The Governor is seeking legal opinion and has assured that the situation will be made clear within two days. We also questioned how selective information is being leaked to the media. He assured that the source is not in his office,” Tirkey was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

As per various media reports, the Election Commission has recommended the disqualification of CM Hemant Soren following a BJP complaint regarding an Office of Profit case. The BJP has alleged that he violated election rules by extending a mining lease to himself.

On Tuesday morning, 30 September, UPA MLAs had met behind a closed doors meeting at Soren’s residence to discuss the political scenario in the state, as the Raj Bhavan continues to maintain silence over the Election Commission’s recommendation that Soren be disqualified as an MLA, according to the Quint report. – INIDA NEWS STREAM