Jharkhand Trust Vote TODAY: Coalition MLAs Return To Ranchi From Hyderabad; Express Unity, Confidence

Jharkhand trust vote: JMM legislature party leader Champai Soren took oath as the chief minister on Friday, after his predecessor Hemant Soren was arrested by the ED. The new dispensation will seek a trust vote on Monday.

Jharkhand Trust Vote: The MLAs of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led alliance returned to state capital Ranchi on Sunday evening, ahead of the floor test of the new Chief Minister Champai Soren-led government in the assembly on Monday.

The legislators, who had been whisked away to Hyderabad in Telangana amid the fear of being poached by the opposition BJP, arrived in a chartered flight at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Airport on Sunday evening and were taken to the Circuit House in the city in two buses.

VIDEO | Jharkhand Congress MLAs arrive at Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi from Hyderabad.

The floor test in Jharkhand Assembly is scheduled to be held on February 5. pic.twitter.com/EWrr5oTDKm

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 4, 2024

‘We are united’

Talking to reporters at the airport, Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam exuded confidence about winning the trust vote and asserted that the alliance’s legislators are “united”.

“Our MLAs are united… We have the support of 48 to 50 legislators,” Alam said.

#WATCH | Jharkhand: JMM and Congress MLAs arrive at the Ranchi airport.

Floor Test of the new government of Jharkhand is likely to be held in the Assembly tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/dhNrXVBXAT

— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2024

JMM MLA Mithilesh Thakur also expressed similar views, stating that the JMM-led coalition will sail through the trust vote.

Thakur also claimed that the JMM-led Alliance also has the support of “many BJP legislators”.

JMM-led alliance will lose trust vote: BJP

However, Thakur’s claims were junked by BJP’s Chief Whip Biranchi Narain, who asserted that the coalition was set to lose the vote of confidence on Monday.

Narain claimed that the alliance MLAs were kept under strict surveillance in Hyderabad, “which indicates that they were not confident of winning.”

The opposition BJP convened its legislature party’s meeting on Sunday to chalk out its strategy in the House.

“The saffron party will oppose the trust motion in the House tomorrow as Champai Soren, after taking oath as chief minister, had said he will take ahead the programmes of the previous Hemant Soren government.

“This reflects it is the Hemant Soren government part 2, which will also indulge in corruption and malpractices,” Narayan alleged.

MLAs flown to Hyderabad amid poaching fears

The MLAs of the ruling JMM-led alliance were at a resort in Hyderabad for the past three days before leaving for Ranchi on Sunday evening.

About 38 legislators had gone to Hyderabad in two flights on February 2, amid the coalition’s fears that the BJP might attempt to “poach” them in the run-up to the trust vote.

A video released by the coalition on Thursday had claimed the support of 43 legislators in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly.

The Champai Soren-led alliance government in Jharkhand will seek a vote of confidence on Monday, the first day of the two-day assembly session.

Soren was administered the oath of office by Governor C P Radhakrishnan at the Raj Bhavan on February 2.

Along with him, senior Congress leader Alamgir Alam and RJD leader Satyanand Bhokta took oath as ministers.

JMM legislature party leader Champai Soren took oath as the chief minister on Friday, after his predecessor Hemant Soren was arrested by the ED on Wednesday in a money laundering case, throwing the state in political turmoil.

A special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court has allowed him to participate in the trust vote. Hemant Soren was remanded to ED custody for five days by the court on Friday.

The alliance between the JMM, Congress and RJD has 47 MLAs, and it is supported from outside by a lone CPIML(L) legislator.

(With PTI inputs)