Cong., JMM move closer to govt. formation in Jharkhand

July 04, 2013 02:32 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 10:36 pm IST - New Delhi

Congress and JMM on Thursday inched closer to government formation in Jharkhand, with Hemant Soren holding a long meeting with AICC general secretary B.K. Hariprasad, who is in-charge of Jharkhand affairs.

Hemant Soren, son of JMM leader Shibu Soren, who is tipped to be the next chief minister, along with senior JMM leader Champai Soren, held a two-and-a-half hour meeting with Mr. Hariprasad to work out modalities of the new coalition government which will work on a common minimum programme (CMP).

Sources said the announcement of the new government in Jharkhand could be made within a day or even by the evening as discussion on ministers and their portfolios took place during Thursday’s meeting.

The CMP has also been discussed and final touches are being given.

The tribal-dominated state is under President’s Rule since January 18 after the collapse of the Arjun Munda-led BJP government following the withdrawal of support by JMM on January 8. President’s Rule in the state is set to expire on July 18.

Congress has agreed to have a JMM chief minister in the state. In lieu, the regional party has consented to give a lion’s share of nine to ten Lok Sabha seats to Congress out of a total of 14 in the state.

The RJD chief Lalu Prasad has assured both JMM and Congress of his party’s support to a new government.

The JMM and Congress, which have 18 and 13 MLAs respectively, need the support of 11 more legislators to form a government in the 81-member state assembly. RJD has 5 MLAs in the House.

The CPI-ML (L), Marxist Coordination Party, Jharkhand Party (Ekka), Jharkhand Janadhikar Manch and Jai Bharat Samta Party have one member each besides an Independent.

Political uncertainties have dogged Jharkhand ever since it was carved out of Bihar in 2000 as the state has remained under President’s Rule thrice -- 2009, 2010 and 2013.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.