Explained: The political crisis plaguing the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand

“Jharkhand chief minister is not resigning.”

With this declaration, Jharkhand Congress working president Bandhu Tirkey has brought short-term relief for the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and grand old party’s coalition government in the state.

Tirkey’s statement came after a 10-member delegation of the Jharkhand government met Governor Ramesh Bais in Raj Bhavan at 4 pm today amid a looming threat to Hemant Soren’s chair.

As per ANI, the Jharkhand Congress working president denied that Soren will resign, adding that governor Bais has sought legal opinion and will clear the matter in two days.

What prompted the ruling Jharkhand government’s MLAs to meet the Governor? Let’s understand the political crisis emanating in the state in detail:

JMM-Congress MLAs meet Governor

The Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from the ruling Jharkhand coalition government reportedly submitted a memorandum to Governor Bais amid reports of Hemant Soren’s uncertain future as the chief minister.

The leaders alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state is making bids to “destabilise” the government.

“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,” PTI cited the letter by the MLAs as saying.

The letter also stated that Soren’s disqualification as an MLA will not affect the Jharkhand government which has the required numbers in the Assembly. The delegation urged Governor Bais to “clear the air” and “declare the opinion (if any) received from the Election Commission”, the letter added.

After the meeting, Bandhu Tirkey told reporters that the governor has denied that the source of the “selective leaks” is in his office.

Jharkhand | CM is not resigning. Governor seeking legal opinion & has assured situation will be made clear within 2 days. We also questioned how selective information is being leaked to media, he also assured source is not in his office: Cong working President Bandhu Tirkey pic.twitter.com/nig3Rh72JN

— ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2022

Soren was not among the group of leaders that met Bais as he was holding a Cabinet meeting in Ranchi’s Project Bhawan.

Sources told Indian Express that the Cabinet meeting chaired by Hemant Soren is likely to take decisions on issues ranging from drought-like situation in the state to increase in amount given to people with incurable illnesses to the appointment of panchayat secretaries.

Why is Hemant Soren’s future as chief minister uncertain?

Hemant Soren’s future as chief minister hangs in the balance following multiple reports that the Election Commission (EC) has recommended his disqualification in an alleged office of profit case. Soren has been accused of violating electoral norms by extending a mining lease to himself. As per PTI, the EC sent its opinion to Governor Bais on 25 August. However, Raj Bhavan has not taken a decision yet.

The BJP, the petitioner in the office of profit case, had sought Soren’s disqualification for violating Section 9 (A) of the Representation of the People Act. The law disqualifies a government member for awarding contracts in conflict of interests.

The saffron party has asked Soren to quit on “moral grounds” and demanded a mid-term election in the state.

UPA MLAs shifted to Chhattisgarh

On 30 August, around 32 Jharkhand UPA MLAs constituting JMM, Congress and RJD, were shifted to the Mayfair Golf Resort in Chhattisgarh’s Nava Raipur.

However, four Jharkhand ministers – Alamgir Alam, Banna Gupta, Rameshwar Oraon, and Badal Patralekh – were flown back to Ranchi on 31 August evening to attend Thursday’s Cabinet meeting.

The ruling coalition has alleged that the opposition BJP will make attempts to poach MLAs to form a new government in Jharkhand.

The Soren-led alliance has 49 of the 81 MLAs in the House, out of which JMM has 30 legislators, the Congress has 18 and the RJD one. The BJP, which is the main opposition, has 26 MLAs in the Jharkhand Assembly.

The BJP was earlier accused of trying to topple the Soren government after three Congress MLAs were caught with Rs 50 lakh cash in West Bengal in July. The saffron party has denied these allegations.

What happens if Soren is disqualified?

If the governor, acting on EC’s suggestion, disqualifies Hemant Soren as an MLA then he will no longer be a part of the Jharkhand Assembly. He along with his Cabinet will have to tender their resignation.

Soren will have the option to retake the oath as chief minister and contest bypoll during the next six months to get re-elected as an MLA in the Jharkhand Assembly.

Jharkhand High Court advocate Hemant Kumar Shikarwar told PTI that the JMM-Congress alliance will also have the choice to elect someone else to the office of the chief minister if Soren cannot assume the top post immediately.

With inputs from agencies

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