Champai Soren assumed the role of Chief Minister in Jharkhand on a Friday afternoon, succeeding the controversial arrest of Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case just two days earlier. The 67-year-old, supported by 43 MLAs from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal alliance, must undergo a floor test within the next 10 days to establish his majority.
The swearing-in of Mr. Soren concludes one facet of the crisis in Jharkhand, arising from internal power struggles within the ruling JMM. Reports indicated factions within the Soren family were competing for the Chief Minister’s position, particularly in response to speculation about Hemant Soren’s wife, Kalpana Soren, potentially assuming the role.
Champai Soren, a six-time lawmaker and the former Transport Minister, emerged as the consensus candidate for the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s legislative party late Wednesday, attempting to meet Governor CP Radhakrishnan soon after Hemant Soren’s resignation and arrest. Despite initial speculation of a potential BJP claim, the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance prepared to safeguard their MLAs against “poaching” attempts by the BJP, leading to a failed attempt to fly them to Telangana due to bad weather.
In the midst of these developments, Champai Soren and Governor Radhakrishnan had a second meeting, during which the Governor acknowledged the majority-driven claim but deferred his decision. Subsequently, the Governor summoned Champai Soren and invited him to form the government.
The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance currently commands 47 MLAs in the 81-member house, with potential stability contingent on the commitment of these MLAs. Any wavering among six of them could provide an opportunity for the BJP to seize control of the state. Meanwhile, Hemant Soren’s appeal before the Supreme Court was dismissed, directing him to seek relief from the state’s High Court, and a Ranchi special court sent him to ED custody for five days.