Hemant Soren, executive president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, was sworn in as the 11th Chief Minister of Jharkhand at the Morabadi Ground in Ranchi on Sunday.
Governor Draupadi Murmu administered the oath to Mr. Soren, while three others, two MLAs from the Congress and one from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, were inducted into the Ministry.
The 44-year-old JMM leader took over as Chief Minister of tribal-dominated Jharkhand for the second time. He was deputy Chief Minister in the Arjun Munda Ministry in 2010 and went on to become Chief Minister in 2013.
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“We will take Jharkhand to a new high by taking everyone along. Our government will ensure all-round development of each section of society. A new era of peace and prosperity will be ushered in the State,” said Mr. Soren, after his swearing-in.
He led the JMM, Congress and RJD alliance to a comprehensive win in the just-concluded Assembly election. The alliance won 47 seats in the 81-member Jharkhand House. Later, Jharkhand Vikash Morcha (Prajatantrik) led by former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi and having three seats extended unconditional support to his government.
Congress Legislature Party leader Alamgir Alam, Jharkhand Congress president Rameshwar Oran, who had won the Lohardaga Assembly seat, and the lone RJD MLA Satyananda Bhokta were also administered oath as Ministers.
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Congratulatory messages started pouring in for Mr. Soren subsequent to his swearing-in.
“Congratulations to @HemantSorenJMM Ji on taking oath as Jharkhand CM. I assure all possible support from the Centre for Jharkhand’s growth,” tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Former President Pranab Mukherjee, who had initially given consent to participate in the event, took to the micro-blogging site and said, “congratulations and blessings to @HemantSorenJMM on being sworn in as the CM of #Jharkhand. Unable to attend the ceremony due to indifferent health, I extend my good wishes to you for a successful new term. May you uphold the faith shown by the people in you and the alliance you led.”
In the swearing-in ceremony, parties opposed to the BJP found a common platform to display bonhomie. Exactly, a month ago Uddhav Thackeray had taken oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister, which was seen as a loss for the BJP in the power game in the face of rare Opposition unity. At a time when countrywide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens are erupting, the presence of Opposition leaders assumed a lot of political significance.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi took centre stage in the galaxy of Opposition leaders present.
Chief Ministers Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh, Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan and Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal attended the swearing-in, while former CMs Tarun Gogoi of Assam and Jitan Ram Manjhi of Bihar wished the new Jharkhand CM.
CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI general secretary D. Raja, RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M.K. Stalin, party MP Kanimozhi and T.R. Baalu, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh and Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav also took part in the ceremony.