New Delhi/Ranchi: Top I.N.D.I.A. bloc leaders, including senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, and Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav, are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister Hemant Soren on November 28 at Morabadai Maidan in Ranchi.
Preparations for the ceremony are in full swing as alliance partners negotiate ministerial positions. It is likely that six ministers from Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), four from Congress, and one from RJD will be sworn in on Thursday. The Congress is reportedly pushing for a 4:1 formula, seeking four ministerial berths, one for every four seats won. Meanwhile, JMM is considering a 5:1 formula, sources said. Given that JMM led the poll campaign against the BJP-led NDA in the recently concluded Assembly elections and won 34 seats, the party argues it deserves at least six ministerial positions in the new Cabinet.
However, leaders of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc partners are discussing the issue, and the final decision will be made by mutual consent well before November 28, sources added. According to the Constitution of Jharkhand, the Cabinet can include up to 12 ministers, including the Chief Minister.
In the Assembly elections, JMM contested 43 seats and won 34, marking the highest-ever tally for the party. The Congress secured 16 seats, RJD four, and CPI (ML) two seats within the I.N.D.I.A. bloc. Additionally, Jharkhand Krantikari Loktantrik Morcha (JKLM) won one seat independently.
On Sunday, Hemant Soren met Governor Santosh Gangwar to stake his claim to form the government after being unanimously elected as the legislature party leader by I.N.D.I.A. bloc leaders. Although he resigned as Chief Minister to formalise his claim, Governor Gangwar has designated him as acting Chief Minister until his oath-taking on November 28.
Hemant Soren will be sworn in as the 14th Chief Minister of Jharkhand, a state carved out of Bihar on November 15, 2000. This will mark his fourth term in office. The majority mark in the state Assembly is 41 seats.
In this Assembly election, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc comprising JMM, Congress, RJD, and CPI-ML won 56 seats, while the NDA alliance of BJP, AJSU, JDU, and LJP won 24 seats. JKLM secured one seat as an independent candidate.
