JMM leader Hemant Soren, 37, was sworn in as Jharkhand’s ninth chief minister on Saturday as the head of the new ruling coalition of JMM, Congress, RJD and Independent MLAs, along with two legislators, one each from the Congress and the RJD, taking oath as ministers .
The young political scion, a former deputy chief minister of Jharkhand and son of JMM patriarch Sibu Soren, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by governor Syed Ahmed in a simple ceremony at the Raj Bhavan. He was invited for the swearing-in ceremony late on Friday night after the governor received an official communication from Delhi about the presidential assent for revocation of Central rule in the state. The tribal leader, who claimed on July 9 the support of 43 MLAs in Jharkhand’s 82-member Assembly, was asked to prove his majority in a week, and he is likely to a seek trust vote on July 16.
Senior Congress MLA Rajendra Prasad Singh and senior RJD legislator Annapurna Devi, who are leaders of the legislature units of their respective parties, were sworn in as ministers in what is the third government in the same Assembly, whose current tenure is set to expire in December 2014. In Jharkhand’s nearly 13 years in existence, this is the ninth government and the first in which the Congress has participated. The Congress had earlier extended outside support to the Madhu Koda-led government in 2006 and the Sibu Soren-led government in 2008.
“We will do our best for Jharkhand’s development and the well-being of the people,” said Mr Soren after the swearing-in, after which he and the two ministers garlanded a statue of Jharkhand’s tribal icon Birsa Munda in Ranchi.
The OPPOSITION BJP, JVM(P) and CPI-ML took out protest processions statewide against the new government by observing the day as “Dhikkar Divas” (day of shame), “black day” and “snatching of democracy day” respectively. The JMM has 18 MLAs while the Congress has 13 and the RJD has 5. Two MLAs from smaller parties and five independent MLAs have supported Soren’s government.