With the political crisis deepening in Jharkhand over suspense on impending Governor’s notice for disqualification of chief minister Hemant Soren in office-of-profit case, the ruling United Progressive Alliance MLAs led by Mr Soren on Saturday bussed to move out from Ranchi to 40 kms away Dumargadi guest house of Latratu dam in Khunti district and returned back to Ranchi by late evening.
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The MLAs and the CM Soren enjoyed boat ride too in the dam and were seen camping at the guest house till late Saturday evening. They later, returned back to Ranchi by late evening in three luxury buses. The Congress MLAs had to attend the legislature party meeting late at night in Ranchi for which the State party in-charge Avinash Pandey had reached Ranchi.
Editorial | Shadow over Soren: On uncertainty over Jharkhand CM continuation
The UPA legislatures were seen relaxed and moving out from one corner to another on the first floor of the guest house fortified by heavy security arrangement. “Sitting and meeting in Ranchi for last two days had got us bored and since today was Saturday, we decided to move out somewhere for our weekend tour together and enjoy the moment”, JMM leader Joba Manjhi told media persons. Party leader Mahua Manjhi too echoed similar and said they were not going outside the State.
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The MLAs, though, had reached CM Hemant Soren’s official residence on Saturday afternoon with large suitcases and bags. They had third marathon meeting there before leaving for Latratu dam guest house in Khunti. Though, number of MLAs travelling in three buses was not confirmed but it was said as many as 43 of them were there in the group. The figure to form the government in 81-member State Assembly in 41.
The state BJP leaders, however, refrained from making any comment on the political development in the State but some of them requesting anonymity, told The Hindu that “there must be something cooking up in the ruling UPA camp otherwise what was the need of taking them in buses to some other place, out of Ranchi—the State capital?”.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and UPA MLAs leave from the CM residence in a bus after a meeting in Ranchi on August 27, 2022. Photo: Jharkhand CMO via PTI
Meanwhile, sources in State Raj Bhawan said that the Governor Ramesh Bais is likely to send the alleged disqualification notice of Mr Soren as an MLA in profit-of-office charge, to the Election Commission soon.”It could be tonight itself or tomorrow morning”, he said. “Whatever decision the Governor or the EC has to take, they should take it without any delay as we’re prepared for any eventuality, even for the floor test but Hemant Soren will be our leader”, said a senior state Congress leader who too was travelling with UPA MLAs in the bus.
In the 81-member State Assembly, Mr Soren led-JMM has 30 MLAs, while allies Congress Party has 18 and Rashtriya Janata Dal, Communist party of India (Marxist-Leninist) and Nationalist Congress has one each MLA. The Opposition BJP has 26 MLAs with support of two All Jharkhand Student’s Union (AJSU) and two other legislators.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Rajesh Thakur and UPA MLAs pose for a photograph after reaching a resort in the State’s Khunti district on August 27, 2022. | Photo Credit: PTI
Meanwhile, with uncertainty looming in Jharkhand’s political landscape for last three days, BJP MP from Godda Nishikant Dubey who, earlier, had trigger the row saying the ECI has sent the notice to disqualify CM Hemant Soren in profit-of-office case, fuelled the fire again on Saturday by tweeting, “according to Jharkhand Mukti Morcha sources, some MLAs reached Chhattisgarh at 2 am. Most of the MLAs are reluctant to go and are waiting for orders of senior JMM leader Basant Soren. Some buses are parked in Ranchi for MLAs”. JMM leader Basant Soren, though, was seen along with the group of UPA MLAs reaching to the Latratu guest house in Khunti, enjoying sumptuous food along with them and returning back to Ranchi late in the evening.