The newly appointed Jharkhand Chief Minister, Champai Soren, faces a trust vote today. This comes after the previous chief minister, Hemant Soren, resigned and was subsequently arrested. Champai Soren, leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), will have to prove his government’s majority during the floor test scheduled to begin at 11 am on February 5. The JMM-led alliance has confidence in their support, with claims that they have the backing of 48-50 legislators.
After Champai Soren’s swearing-in, 39 MLAs from the ruling coalition, led by the JMM, went to Hyderabad to thwart poaching attempts by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The coalition had support from the Congress and other parties. Measures were taken to protect the legislators at a resort in Hyderabad, such as restricted entry and separate dining arrangements. Despite these precautions, the coalition MLAs returned to Ranchi and were moved to the Circuit House after weather conditions interfered with earlier attempts to bring them back.
Biranchi Narain, Chief Whip of the BJP, expressed doubts about the coalition’s chances in the trust vote. He stated that the coalition was set to lose the vote and suggested that their move to relocate to Hyderabad was a sign of their lack of confidence. The BJP feels that the coalition is attempting to hide their internal differences.
In the 81-member Assembly, the JMM-led alliance has 47 seats, while the BJP and its allies have 29 seats. The majority mark is 41. With the Congress claiming to have majority numbers, the headcount conducted by the MLAs supported their confidence that the Champai Soren-led government would succeed in the trust vote. However, there is speculation that two JMM MLAs could skip the voting, altering the majority numbers. Despite this, both the JMM and Congress stand firm in their belief that they will win the vote.
The Jharkhand political crisis began after Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate. Following his resignation, Champai Soren was sworn in and given 10 days to prove his majority. Political tensions continue to loom as the JMM-led alliance prepares for the trust vote.