Jharkhand remains without chief minister: Champai Soren releases video roll call of 43 MLAs, but fails to get governor's invite to form govt

NEW DELHI: Jharkhand continues to be without a chief minister with state governor CP Radhakrishnan refusing to invite Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's newly-elected leader Champai Soren to form the next government in the state despite the JMM leader claiming the support of 43 MLAs in the 81-member assembly.
The state has been plunged into a political crisis after the resignation of Hemant Soren, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate late on Wednesday.
Champai Soren, who has staked claim to form the next government, on Thursday released a video of 43 MLAs taking number count to show that he has the required support to become the chief minister. After a wait of nearly 20 hours, the JMM leader finally got an invite to meet the governor on Thursday evening. However, despite the video and also letters of support, the governor did not invite the JMM leader to form the government.

"We have demanded from the governor that the process to start formation of new government should begin. The governor has assured us that the process will begin soon," Champai Soren told reporters after meeting the governor. "Currently, we have submitted the report with 43 MLAs in our support. We expect that the number will reach 46-47 so there is no problem. Our 'gathbandhan' is very strong," he added.
“We will again seek time at noon tomorrow if the governor fails to call us by then,” Congress legislative party leader Alamgir Alam said after meeting the governor. Alam said that during the meeting, they expressed concern as to who would be responsible for horse trading if a quick decision on government formation is not taken.
In the 81-member Jharkhand assembly, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance, which includes Congress and RJD has 47 MLAs, including 29 of JMM, 17 of Congress, and 1 of RJD. The BJP has 25 members and the AJSU party has three MLAs. The NCP and CPI (ML)L have one member each, apart from 3 Independents.

With uncertainty over government formation, the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc MLAs have been shifted out of the state to prevent poaching. The MLAs are being flown to Hyderabad, where Congress has a government.
Meanwhile, JMM leader and former chief minister Hemant Soren was sent to one-day judicial custody by a special PMLA court in Ranchi, in connection with an alleged land scam case.
Hemant Soren, who has moved the Supreme Court against his arrest, has said in his petition that he was arrested from the Raj Bhavan where he had gone to tender his resignation as the chief minister along with JMM MLAs and those of the allied parties who enjoy a clear majority in the state assembly.
"The arrest of the petitioner around 10.10pm on January 31, 2024 is illegal and malafide and without jurisdiction," Soren's plea in SC claimed.
"The arrest is a part of a well-orchestrated conspiracy which has been given shape at the anvil of the general elections slated in a few months," it said.
Soren alleged the ED's action, initiated at the behest of the central government, was aimed at toppling his democratically elected government.
"The ruling alliance headed by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has the support of 47 MLAs out of total 81 MLAs of the Assembly and they have elected Champai Soren to be their leader and to take over as new chief minister of the state of Jharkhand pursuant to the resignation of the Petitioner," it said.
'Nails are being hammered in the coffin of Indian democracy'
The Congress questioned the delay in inviting Champai Soren to head the government despite having the support of 43 MLAs and alleged that this amounts to contempt of the Constitution and denial of public mandate.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge shared a video of Jharkhand MLAs of the Congress and JMM and accused governors of hammering nails in the coffin of Indian democracy.
"In the House of 81 MLAs, only 41 form a majority. Despite having the support of 48 MLAs, not inviting Champai Soren ji to form the government is clearly contempt of the Constitution and denial of public mandate," he said in a post in Hindi on X.
"Nails are being hammered in the coffin of Indian democracy by His Excellencies," Kharge said pointing at the role of governors in states.
'Hemant Soren refused to receive arrest order'
The ED has claimed that Hemant Soren was informed about his arrest at about 5 pm last evening but he was "reluctant" to receive the order as he first wanted to submit his resignation from the chief minister's post.
The probe agency also alleged that a dozen land parcels in Ranchi measuring about 8.5 acres in total are in "illegal possession, occupation and use" of the JMM leader and are proceeds of crime under the anti-money laundering law.
"He (Soren) was informed about his arrest at around 5 pm. However, he was reluctant to receive the orders before he tendered his resignation from the post of chief minister to the Hon'ble Governor, Jharkhand," the central agency informed a special PMLA court while seeking his custody.
The agency alleged, in the remand note accessed by PTI, that Soren left for the Governor House (Raj Bhavan) without consent and without completing the ongoing proceedings." "The written grounds of arrest could be served to him at 10 pm," the ED told the court.
(With inputs from agencies)