Jharkhand, February 07, 2024: The expansion of the Jharkhand cabinet led by Chief Minister Champai Soren has been rescheduled to February 16, announced a state minister on Wednesday, shifting the event initially planned for Thursday.
State minister Alamgir Alam confirmed the change, stating, “The swearing-in ceremony has been deferred. Now, it will take place at 3 pm on February 16 at Raj Bhavan here.”
The alteration in schedule is attributed to the two-day ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, commencing on February 14 in Jharkhand and proceeding to Bihar on February 15.
Champai Soren, a 67-year-old leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), assumed office as the 12th chief minister of the state on February 2, succeeding his predecessor Hemant Soren, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.
On the same day, ministers Alamgir Alam of Congress and Satyanand Bhokta of RJD also took the oath of office. Both Congress and RJD are part of the ruling alliance.
As per constitutional provisions, Jharkhand can have a maximum of 12 ministers, including the chief minister. During the previous Hemant Soren government, one berth remained vacant.
Regarding the selection of MLAs for the council of ministers, Alam mentioned that it is yet to be decided by the Congress. A JMM source suggested that the party might retain most of the legislators from the previous cabinet, with one or two possible changes.
The JMM-led coalition government under Chief Minister Champai Soren won the vote of confidence on February 5, with 47 legislators voting in favor and 29 against, in the 81-member assembly. The alliance comprises JMM (29), Congress (17), and RJD (1), while the BJP has 26 members, AJSU Party has three, and NCP and CPI (ML) each have one lawmaker, along with two Independents and one nominated member.
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