Champai Soren-led Jharkhand government wins trust vote in assembly
The newly formed Champai Soren government in Jharkhand won the trust vote in the assembly on Monday. Champai took oath as the chief minister after party leader Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last week. Concerned about potential poaching attempts by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led alliance had sequestered its MLAs at a Hyderabad resort. The MLAs returned to Ranchi on Sunday to face the crucial floor test.
Why does this story matter?
Champai took the oath of office on Friday last week. His swearing-in capped a dramatic 48 hours in Ranchi that began with Soren's arrest by the ED on Wednesday night; moments after he demitted the office of Jharkhand chief minister. The ED is investigating over a dozen land deals, including defense land, wherein mafias, middlemen, and bureaucrats allegedly connived to forge documents. The documents date as far back as 1932.
How the numbers stack up
The Champai-led government won the floor test with the support of 47 MLAs. Earlier, in a video released by the JMM-led coalition, Champai claimed support of 43 legislators in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly. "We expect the number will reach 46-47," Champai told reporters last week. The JMM, Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) form the ruling coalition with 47 MLAs.
CM Soren wins trust vote with support of 47 MLAs
29 votes against Champai-led government
The floor test saw opposition by 29 MLAs. In the assembly, the opposition is led by the BJP with 25 MLAs. The All Jharkhand Students Union has three MLAs. The Nationalist Congress Party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation have one member each, apart from three Independents. Notably, in the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won 11 of the 14 seats in the state. The Congress and the JMM, meanwhile, could only manage one each.
Soren participates in trust vote
The former Jharkhand chief minister also participated in the trust vote. A special court in Ranchi permitted him to attend the assembly session, despite strong objections from the ED. Addressing the assembly, Soren alleged that even the Raj Bhavan had a role to play in his arrest. "On the night of January 31, for the first time in the country, a chief minister was arrested...and I believe that Raj Bhavan was also involved in this incident," he said.
