Jharkhand: Governor Bais flies to Delhi, may meet Amit Shah
Amid a mounting political crisis in Jharkhand and uncertainty about the fate of Chief Minister (CM) Hemant Soren, Governor Ramesh Bais on Friday left for New Delhi. He is likely to meet Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit. On Thursday, the ruling coalition members met with Bais and requested him to clarify the Election Commission of India's (ECI's) secret letter.
Why does this story matter?
Jharkhand is going through a political crisis after the ECI recommended the disqualification of CM Soren as MLA for holding an office of profit. Meanwhile, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) fears the Opposition could poach their MLAs and topple their government. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had filed a complaint with the governor, following which he sought the ECI's opinion on the matter.
Crucial developments on Thursday
Reports said the members of the ruling coalition met Governor Bais on Thursday and asked him to set the record straight and put a stop to any illegitimate attempts to overthrow the democratically elected government. The governor informed the group that he will take the necessary steps as soon as possible, according to a statement from his office.
Governor reviewing ECI recommendations, decision soon: Reports
According to reports, the Governor has been reviewing ECI's recommendations on Soren's disqualification and will make a decision soon. The formal statement from Raj Bhavan will necessitate his resignation. However, if the UPA lawmakers re-elect him as their leader, he can be re-elected in six months and remain as chief minister. Meanwhile, he is currently consulting with constitutional experts on his next steps.
Comfortable majority for ruling coalition in Assembly
The ruling alliance has 49 seats in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, against the majority of 41—30 from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), 18 from Congress, and one from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). On the other side, the state's main opposition party, the BJP, has 25 MLAs. Notably, three Congress MLAs were detained in Kolkata in July for allegedly attempting to destabilize Soren's administration.
Ruling alliance MLAs fly to Chhattisgarh to prevent poaching
According to reports, the ruling legislators have been sent to Chattishgarh to prevent their horse-trading. A 72-seater IndiGo chartered flight was reserved for them to Chhattisgarh, where they would stay at a resort. Preparations for the arrival of lawmakers at the Mayfair Resort in Nava Raipur have apparently been on since the political frenzy began on Saturday, with the allegations of poaching.
BJP demands mid-term polls in all constituencies
Meanwhile, Nishikant Dubey, the BJP's MP from Godda in Jharkhand, has asked for mid-term elections in all 81 Assembly constituencies. He demanded Soren's resignation as CM "on moral grounds." BJP leader and former CM Raghubar Das accused Soren's JMM of plundering the state's natural riches since taking office. He believes Soren should be dismissed as an MLA and prohibited from running in future elections.
