Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Nov 28: The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led INDIA bloc was installed in the office on Thursday with Hemant Soren taking the oath as the 14th chief minister and his fourth term in the presence of a number of opposition leaders.
Even though invited, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the union home minister Amit Shah or any of the BJP leaders attended the swearing-in ceremony held at Ranchi’s Morabadi Maidan. The governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Soren who was the only one to take oath as the Mahagathbandhan allies are still negotiating over cabinet berths.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav were among those who attended the ceremony. Other attendees included Independent MP Pappu Yadav, Tamil Nadu Deputy CM and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin, AAP MP Raghav Chadha, and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann.
In the state polls, results of which were declared on Saturday, the JMM-led alliance won 56 seats in the 81-member House with the BJP-led NDA winning only 24. The Hemant Soren’s JMM party, which contested 41 seats, won 34, and the Congress managed victory on 16 out of 30 seats. RJD and CPIML won six and four seats, respectively.
Mr Soren is the only leader in Jharkhand to win the term for the second time in succession. Tribal troupes, attired in traditional dresses, danced to the tune of ‘dhol and nagara’ at the venue, amid tight security arrangements. Schools in Ranchi city remained closed in view of the swearing-in of the Hemant Soren government.
Hours before taking the oath, Mr Soren took to X, asserting that unity was the biggest weapon of people of the state, who can “neither be divided nor silenced.” In an apparent attack on the BJP-led central government, Mr Soren also said whenever “they try to silence us,” the revolution grows louder.
“Let there be no doubt about it – our unity is our biggest weapon. We can neither be divided nor silenced. Whenever they push us back, we move forward. Whenever they try to silence us, our voice of rebellion and revolution grows louder because we are Jharkhandis, and Jharkhandis do not bow down,” Mr Soren posted on X in Hindi. “Our fight is firm and unceasing. The struggle continues and will continue till the last breath,” he asserted.
Terming the day as historic, he said it would further strengthen “our collective struggle,” the “spirit of love and brotherhood” and the commitment of Jharkhandis towards justice. When “deep cracks” are emerging in the social structure, there is a need to resolve for unity, the CM said. “It’s heartening to have such esteemed leaders join us for this important occasion,” Soren said.
The 49-year old tribal leader Hemant Soren had started his political career with a short stint in Rajya Sabha before becoming an MLA in 2009. He served as Deputy Chief Minister from 2010 to 2013 when JMM was in an alliance with the BJP and Arjun Munda was the Chief Minister. Later in 2013, he became Chief Minister with the JMM tying up with the Congress and RJD. In the 2014 state election, the BJP came to power and Mr Soren took over as Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. The JMM-Congress alliance won the 2019 Assembly election and Mr Soren started his second stint as Chief Minister.
Earlier this year, he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. Mr Soren has denied the charges and accused the BJP of using probe agencies for political goals. Ahead of his arrest, he resigned and his close aide Champai Soren took over as Chief Minister. After over six months in jail, Mr Soren was granted bail. When he moved to take over as Chief Minister again, Champai Soren quit the JMM, alleging that he was humiliated.
Mr Soren’s arrest and imprisonment also brought his wife Kalpana to the political stage. Ms Soren campaigned extensively and attended grand meetings of the Opposition parties in her husband’s absence. In this Assembly polls, she was elected as an MLA too.
The BJP had pushed hard to score a victory in Jharkhand, with its top leaders travelling to the state during the poll campaign. Its campaign accused the ruling party of aiding the infiltration of Bangladesh refugees, among other issues. But the Hemant Soren government’s public welfare schemes and the sympathy wave in the wake of his arrest trumped the BJP’s poll push and brought JMM back to power.