Hemant Soren, the executive president of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Jharkhand on Thursday evening. The oath ceremony took place after Governor CP Radhakrishnan invited him to form the new government. Hemant Soren, who had previously served as Chief Minister, was recently released on bail after spending about five months in jail in connection with a land scam case.
The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Raj Bhavan in Ranchi, where CP Radhakrishnan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Soren. Present at the ceremony were Soren's father and JMM supremo Shibu Soren, his mother Rupi Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren, and senior leaders of the JMM-led alliance.
Prior to the ceremony, Hemant Soren released a video message on X, where he criticized those in power (indirectly referring to the BJP) who had attempted to silence him. In his message, he stated, "Today, the public opinion of the people of Jharkhand will rise again. Jai Jharkhand, Jai Hind."
He further added, "A conspiracy was hatched against me. I had sent a message to my supporters from the same place. Now, it is the same place. Many found it difficult to accept that a tribal is holding a coveted post."
Hemant Soren made his claim to form the government on Wednesday after Champai Soren, who had been the 12th Chief Minister of Jharkhand since February 2 following Hemant Soren's arrest, resigned from his post.
Hemant Soren, the son of JMM leader Shibu Soren, was released from jail on June 28 after being granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court in a money laundering case related to the alleged land scam. On the same day, the JMM-led alliance in the state unanimously elected him as the leader of the legislature party.
Before his arrest on January 31 by the Enforcement Directorate, Hemant Soren had resigned from his position as Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, official sources in New Delhi have indicated that the Enforcement Directorate is expected to approach the Supreme Court soon with a plea challenging the Jharkhand High Court's decision to grant bail to Hemant Soren. In its June 28 order, the single bench of Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay of the High Court stated that the court's belief that the petitioner (Soren) is "not guilty" was erroneous and that the accused does not satisfy the twin conditions required under section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Jharkhand's Cabinet can have up to 12 ministers, but currently, it has only 10.
The strength of the JMM-led alliance in the state was reduced to 45 MLAs – JMM with 27, Congress with 17, and RJD with 1 – following the Lok Sabha elections. Two JMM MLAs, Nalin Soren and Joba Majhi, were elected to the Lok Sabha, while another MLA, Sita Soren from Jama, resigned to contest the general elections on a BJP ticket. Additionally, the party expelled two more legislators – Bishunpur MLA Chamra Linda and Boriyo MLA Lobin Hembrom.
The Opposition BJP's strength also decreased to 24 as two of its MLAs, Dhulu Mahto (Baghmara) and Manish Jaiswal (Hazaribag), were elected as MPs. Furthermore, the BJP expelled Mandu MLA Jaiprakash Bhai Patel after he joined the Congress to contest the polls.
