Hemant Soren, leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), was sworn in as Chief Minister of Jharkhand for the fourth time at a grand ceremony held at Ranchi’s Morabadi Ground. The event witnessed the presence of prominent leaders from the INDIA Opposition bloc, marking a show of unity among opposition parties.
Notable attendees included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav.
Victory of the Mahagathbandhan
The swearing-in comes after the JMM-led alliance secured a decisive victory in the recently concluded Jharkhand Assembly elections. The alliance won 56 out of 81 seats, with JMM bagging 34 seats out of the 41 it contested. The Congress won 16 out of 30 seats, while RJD and CPIML secured six and four seats, respectively.
Despite the victory, negotiations over cabinet berths among Mahagathbandhan allies remain ongoing, and Hemant Soren was the sole leader to take the oath during the ceremony.
A Storied Political Career
At 49, Hemant Soren has had a notable political journey. He began with a Rajya Sabha tenure before becoming an MLA in 2009. He served as Deputy Chief Minister between 2010 and 2013 in a BJP-led coalition before assuming the Chief Minister’s position in 2013 with Congress and RJD support.
In 2014, after losing power to the BJP, Soren served as the Leader of the Opposition. He returned as Chief Minister in 2019 following a JMM-Congress alliance victory. Earlier this year, Soren faced arrest in a money laundering case and was jailed for over six months. While he denied the charges and accused the BJP of political vendetta, his wife, Kalpana Soren, stepped into the political spotlight, campaigning extensively in his absence.
Kalpana Soren’s efforts paid off, as she was elected as an MLA in the latest elections. The public welfare initiatives of the Hemant Soren government and a sympathy wave following his arrest were key factors in JMM’s triumph over the BJP.
BJP’s Failed Push
The BJP launched an aggressive campaign in the state, with its top leaders targeting the ruling party over alleged issues such as aiding the infiltration of Bangladeshi refugees. However, these efforts fell short against the JMM-led coalition’s popularity and the resonance of their public welfare schemes among voters.
As Hemant Soren begins his fourth term, the INDIA bloc celebrates the strengthening of its position in Jharkhand, signaling a strong front ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Sorces By Agencies
