The new Arjun Munda-led government in Jharkhand, which is expected to be sworn in in the next few days, will most likely have two deputy chief ministers: Hemant Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM); and Sudesh Mahto of the All Jharkhand Students' Union (AJSU).
Under a formula worked out among the coalition partners, the BJP and the JMM will get four berths each, the AJSU two and the Janata Dal (United) one. Thus, there will be the Chief Minister plus 11 Ministers. For the moment, the decision is to leave the Speaker undisturbed.
‘Kept in the dark'
There is some resentment in the BJP that party president Nitin Gadkari did not consult most of the members of the Parliamentary Board on the Jharkhand moves. “Some of us were kept in the dark. This is wrong,” said a senior member.
Alleged interference by some party leaders and encouragement of dissidence foiled government formation after the budget session of Parliament when the BJP fell out with the JMM chief and then Chief Minister, Shibu Soren, and demanded his resignation, and his support for a BJP-led government.
Some central party leaders had openly expressed antipathy towards Mr. Munda, despite overwhelming support for him among party MLAs. This prevented government formation by the party as much as the fact that there were at least two or more views on the issue in the JMM.
“Our government will be formed, but how long it will last, given the fragile nature of the mandate that emerged from the last Assembly election, is another matter altogether,” a senior BJP leader said.
