Hemant meets Guv, to take oath on Dec 29

RANCHI: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) working president Hemant Soren was chosen leader of the newly elected assembly on Tuesday, preparing the ground for his swearing-in as chief minister of the tribal-dominated eastern state where a Jmm-led threeparty coalition has unseated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Congress Legislature Party leader-elect Alamgir Alam proposed Soren’s name and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav and the Congress general secretary in charge of Jharkhand, RPN Singh, supported it.

Soon afterwards,soren and the elected legislators of JMM, Congress and RJD and a battery of party leaders met governor Draupadi Murmu at Raj Bhawan and staked his claim to forming the government. He also submitted a list of supporting parties and MLAS to the governor.

“I have presented the list to the governor Draupadi Murmu, signed by 50 legislators, supporting my government and requested her to permit me to form the government,” Soren, said, adding that the swearing-in ceremony will take place on Sunday, December 29. He added that letters of support from the Congress, RJD and the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), or JVM (P), too had been submitted to the governor.

On Tuesday, the newly elected JMM legislators met at party president Shibu Soren’s residence in the afternoon and elected Soren as their leader.

Party MLAS also sought the senior Soren’s blessings and assured him that they would play a constructive role in shaping his dream of a Jharkhand free from oppression and coercion. They pledged o protect water, forests and land resources of the state.

Soren met JVM (P) chief Babulal Marandi at his residence to seek his cooperation — a request to which the latter responded positively, extending his party’s unconditional support to the Jmm-led coalition government. This extended the bench strength of the treasury bench to 50 (JMM 30, Congress 16, RJD 1 and JVM (P) 3).

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