Waiting for Raj Bhavan's invite to form govt: JMM's Champai Soren

Newly elected leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha legislature party, Champai Soren, on Thursday said he was waiting for an invite from the Raj Bhavan to form the government as he has the support of 47 MLAs in the 81-member assembly.

The senior JMM leader, whose name has been proposed by the ruling alliance in Jharkhand as the new chief minister after Hemant Soren’s resignation and his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate a day before, said that “Raj Bhavan should wake up from its slumber”.

“We are waiting for 15-16 hours whereas oaths are administered within two hours of stake claim and invite in other states,” Champai Soren told PTI.

He apparently referred to Bihar where JD(U) president Nitish Kumar had on Sunday resigned as the chief minister of the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ government and again took as the CM with the support of the BJP-led NDA the same day.

“Yesterday, we handed over a letter of support from 43 MLAs to the governor. Now we have the support of 47 legislators,” Champai Soren said.

A top official, who did not wish to be quoted, said: “It (state without CM) is a constitutional crisis…it is unnatural.” Asked whether it is a constitutional crisis, Principal Secretary to the Governor Nitin Madan Kulkarni replied: “What crisis is there?”.

JMM leader Hemant Soren was arrested on Wednesday night in a money laundering case after resigning as the Jharkhand chief minister, and party loyalist and state transport minister Champai Soren was named as his successor.

Hemant Soren was arrested after a seven-hour grilling by the Enforcement Directorate in the money laundering case at his official residence. Governor CP Radhakrishnan has accepted his resignation on Wednesday night.