With the Union Cabinet recommending revocation of President’s Rule in Jharkhand, governor M.O.H. Farook on Thursday invited BJP leader Arjun Munda to form a government in the state. Mr Munda will be sworn in as the eighth chief minister at 11 am on Saturday. He will head of a four-party coalition government, which will include JMM, AJSU and JD(U).
The 42-year-old tribal leader, set to become the chief minister for the third time, would take the Assembly floor test three days later on Tuesday, said BJP leaders, even though he was given a week’s time since his swearing-in by the governor. The Union government, working on the governor’s report after Mr Munda staked claim for government formation, on Thursday recommended to the President for revocation of the three-month-old President’s Rule in Jharkhand.
Informing about the decision of the Union Cabinet, at its meeting in New Delhi, home minister P. Chidambaram said, “The Cabinet has made appropriate recommendation to the President based on governor’s recommendation. You will have to wait for the President’s decision.”
Two deputy chief ministers — JMM’s Hemant Soren and AJSU’s Sudesh Mahto — would take oath along with Mr Munda at a ceremony likely to be held at the most favourite location for such occasions, Morabadi Maidan in the capital Ranchi. It was here that JMM supremo and Hemant Soren’s father, Sibu Soren was sworn in as Jharkhand’s seventh chief minister with the BJP support in a grand ceremony on December 30, 2009. Mr Soren’s government tottered and fell four months later due to the JMM’s irreconcilable differences with the BJP.
Rubbishing pervasive doubts over his coalition government’s longevity, Mr Munda said he would provide a “stable and transparent” government and first ensure implementation of drought relief work in parched Jharkhand.
Mr Munda, currently MP from Jamshedpur, has claimed the support of 45 MLAs — 18 each from the BJP and the JMM, five from AJSU, two from JD(U) and two independent MLAs — in the 81-member Assembly.
“My priorities will be to give Jharkhand a stable and transparent government. I will first ensure effective drought relief work and pay attention to law and order and human resource development in the state,” said Mr Munda.
Even though both Mr Munda and Hemant Soren, leader of the JMM Legislature Party, oozed confidence about the new government’s stability, most people in Jharkhand are currently keeping their fingers crossed due to the state’s muddled political past since it was carved out of Bihar as a separate entity on November 15, 2000.
Sources said the Speaker’s post would most likely go to the BJP and the previous Speaker, C.P. Singh of the BJP, may retain the post.