Jharkhand Crisis: 3 Buses Carrying CM Hemant Soren, Coalition MLAs Return to Ranchi | Highlights

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren held a strategy meet with his MLAs - third in last two days - even as he faced the threat of being disqualified as an MLA.

New Delhi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren may well lose his seat in Jharkhand’s Assembly because of a mining lease extension case against him. Soren is currently riding out a political storm which has been whipped up after the Election Commission sent a report to the Governor of Jharkhand which is believed to have recommended his disqualification as an MLA as a mining lease given to him was renewed during his tenure as the state’s chief minister. Besides the threat of disqualification, which will force him to resign from his office, his aides believe the BJP is out to topple the ruling UPA by splitting the Congress and JMM, the key partners of the alliance. Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais is likely to send the order of disqualification of Hemant Soren to the Election Commission of India (ECI) today.

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren faces disqualification | Latest Updates

• 3 buses carrying Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, MLAs return to Ranchi

#WATCH | Jharkhand: UPA legislators reach the residence of CM Hemant Soren pic.twitter.com/Y7BBJxLmj0

— ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2022

• Ranchi, Jharkhand | All MLAs and ministers have only gathered to discuss the political activities that have went down in past few days. We’re here to discuss the matter & reach some conclusion on it: Avinash Pande, State Congress in-charge
• UPA legislators along with CM Hemant Soren leave from Latratu dam in Khunti district.

• Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren is seen taking a boat ride near Latratu dam in Khunti district along with JMM & Congress MLAs.

• Jharkhand Crisis LIVE: Visuals from a guest house near Latratu dam in Khunti district where CM Hemant Soren and UPA MLAs have come from Ranchi.

Jharkhand | Visuals from a guest house near Latratu dam in Khunti dist where CM Hemant Soren & UPA MLAs & ministers have come from Ranchi pic.twitter.com/XNFci85D5P

— ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2022

• Jharkhand Crisis LIVE: Visuals from Latratu dam in Khunti dist where CM Hemant Soren can be seen with UPA MLAs and ministers.

#WATCH | Jharkhand: Visuals from Latratu dam in Khunti dist where CM Hemant Soren can be seen with UPA MLAs & ministers https://t.co/wSRnav6BMq pic.twitter.com/cqwUb1BEBT

— ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2022

• Several media reports were doing rounds that Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren may resign if the Election Commission recommends his disqualification as an MLA but there have no official confirmation yet.
• Reports have emerged that MLAs of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in Jharkhand may be shifted to Chhattisgarh as Hemant Soren faces disqualification.

Jharkhand political crisis | Buses carrying Jharkhand MLAs leave from the residence of CM Hemant Soren in Ranchi after the meeting of UPA Legislators concludes pic.twitter.com/Kkb50FO2b8

— ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2022

• The ruling coalition has 49 MLAs in the 81-member Assembly. The JMM, the largest party, has 30 MLAs, the Congress 18 legislators, and the RJD one. The main opposition BJP has 26 MLAs in the House.
• Facing disqualification, Hemant Soren asserted that he will fight till the last drop of his blood. “Not able to compete with us politically, our opponents are misusing the constitutional institutions. They are using ED, CBI, Lokpal and Income Tax Department to destabilise our government. But we are not worried about it. We have been given this mandate not by the opponents but by the people,” Hemant Soren said.
• The ECI has recommended Hemant Soren’s disqualification as an MLA for violating electoral norms by extending a mining lease to himself, but there has been no official confirmation yet, sources in the governor’s official residence were quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
• The legislators of the ruling JMM-Congress-RJD coalition also held marathon meetings on Friday morning and evening.
• Sources in the ruling alliance said that strategies were being chalked out to ensure there was no threat to the government.
• Insiders in the Congress, a crucial ally in the JMM-led ruling coalition, had said that “ring-fencing” of MLAs by parking them in a resort in a “friendly state” such as West Bengal, Bihar or Chhattisgarh is being considered as an option to prevent legislator poaching by the BJP.
• However, they said a decision on the future course of action can be taken once the governor communicates to them the ECI’s opinion on the possible disqualification of Soren as an MLA.
• Soren, who was in Latehar on Friday to attend a programme, lashed out at the Centre for “unleashing” all constitutional agencies to “de-stabilise a democratically elected government”.
• The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) executive president said “satanic forces” were all out to execute evil designs.
• He later tweeted, “The Centre has unleashed all agencies on me after I asked for legitimate Rs 1.36 lakh crore dues which are pending to the state. When they saw that they cannot harm me, they are trying to harass ‘Guruji’ (Shibu Soren), who is in a certain age bracket, to get to me.”
• The BJP, the petitioner in the case, has sought Soren’s disqualification for violating Section 9(A) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which deals with disqualification for government contracts.
• The clause states that “a person shall be disqualified if, and for so long as, there subsists a contract entered into by him in the course of his trade or business with the appropriate government for the supply of goods to, or for the execution of any works undertaken by, that government”.
• The issue was referred to the governor and by him to the EC, as Article 192 of the Constitution states that on rulings regarding an MLA’s disqualification, the question shall be referred to the governor who in turn “shall obtain the opinion of the Election Commission and shall act according to such opinion”.