Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren wins trust vote 48-0 amid BJP walkout

RANCHI: Staring at the prospect of disqualification as an MLA in the office-of-profit case for almost two weeks, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren Monday sought and won a cakewalk 48-0 trust vote in the 81-member assembly amid a BJP walkout and the forced absence of three Congress MLAs barred from leaving Bengal since their arrest there with a pile of cash.
BJP storming out after dubbing the vote an “unconstitutional political stunt” gave Soren an easier victory than even he might have expected given the fact that the suspense over his fate in the office-of-profit case continues, heightened by governor Ramesh Bais suddenly leaving for New Delhi two days prior and reportedly being incommunicado since. “He (Bais) was originally expected to return Sunday, but his stay got extended. It isn’t clear so far when he will be back. As far as the decision on the EC letter is concerned, that too is unclear as of now,” a Raj Bhawan official said.
Soren alleged BJP tried everything to stop him but couldn’t. “I am the son of a revolutionary, and I am not ready to give up. Three of our MLAs arrested in Bengal were being poached by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma,” he said.
An additional vote each for the JMM-led government came from the NCP and CPI-ML. The assembly’s nominated Anglo-Indian MLA, too, voted for Soren, making up for the absence of the three Congress members. While NCP had supported the JMM-led coalition from outside when it staked claim to form the government in December 2019, CPI-ML’s backing during the trust vote came as a surprise as the party has chosen to remain in the opposition since Jharkhand became a state.
According to convention, Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto, who is from JMM, would have been required to vote only in the event of a tie. The 49-strong coalition comprises 30 JMM legislators, 17 of Congress and one each from RJD and JVM-P. Besides the 26 BJP legislators, two AJSU Party MLAs and as many Independents walked out of the 81-strong House ahead of the vote.
Former speaker Inder Singh Namdhari said Soren winning the trust vote was at best a message to the opposition rather than an insurance against his possible disqualification from the assembly for allegedly holding a mining lease in Ranchi during his previous stint in office in 2020. "If Soren is disqualified and the cabinet is dissolved, the new government — even if led by JMM again — has to likely face a fresh trust vote."
BJP Legislature Party leader Babulal Marandi said the government had failed miserably in maintaining law and order, including preventing atrocities on girls and women in Santhal Pargana. "no one asked them to prove their majority, neither the opposition nor the governor. They are afraid of the corruption cases being unearthed and are unable to face the people because of the series of crimes targeting women in Santhal Pargana."
Watch Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren wins trust vote in the Assembly