Jharkhand’s political landscape witnessed a swift change as Champai Soren, the state’s Transport Minister and senior leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), took the oath of office as the new Chief Minister. This development came just a day after his appointment was finalized by Governor C P Radhakrishnan following the resignation and arrest of the former Chief Minister, Hemant Soren.
Champai Soren, a stalwart in the Jharkhand statehood movement, has a long-standing history with the JMM and is renowned for his contributions to various key portfolios, including welfare and transport. His selection as the leader of the legislative party in the Jharkhand Assembly is attributed to his seniority and close association with Hemant’s father, former CM Shibu Soren.
However, the newly appointed Chief Minister faces a significant challenge ahead. He has been granted a period of 10 days to prove the majority of his government, as confirmed by Rajesh Thakur, the Chief of the Congress party, which is a constituent of the JMM-led alliance.
Speaking to media, post the sworn-in ceremony today, the newly appointed Jharkhand CM has all the praises for Hemant Soren. He asserted, he will speed up all the development work started by the former CM.
“Hemant Soren worked for the all-round development of the tribals. I will speed up the work started by him, we will complete the work on time towards meeting the aspirations of people. Opposition’s attempt to create instability in the state has been failed by the strength of our alliance,” the Jharkhand CM said.
It is pertinent to note that the transition of power occurred swiftly after Hemant Soren submitted his resignation to the Governor on Wednesday night, just before his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on charges related to money laundering (in connection with an illegal mining case and alleged land scam in Ranchi).
The Enforcement Directorate investigating both cases have already arrested several individuals, including an IAS officer and a businessmen in connection with the land scam case and the latest in streak was of then Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s arrest.
Meanwhile, today the Supreme Court subsequently declined to entertain Hemant Soren’s petition challenging his arrest, instructing him to approach the jurisdictional high court instead.
