Ranchi: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren took oath as a Minister in the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand cabinet at Raj Bhavan in Ranchi on Monday. Champai Soren resigned from his post as Chief Minister on July 3, just before Hemant Soren took oath as the 13th Chief Minister of Jharkhand on July 4.
In addition to Champai Soren, JMM leaders Baidya Nath Ram, Babi Devi, Mithilesh Thakur, Deepak Birua, and Hafizul Hasan also took their oaths as Ministers. Congress leaders Rameshwar Oraon, Banna Gupta, Irfan Ansari, Dipika Pandey Singh, and RJD leader Satyanand Bhokta joined them in the cabinet.
Earlier in the day, Hemant Soren won the floor test during a special session of the state assembly, securing the trust vote with 45 MLAs in his favor. He was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Jharkhand at Raj Bhavan, Ranchi on July 4.
Hemant Soren was released from Birsa Munda Jail on June 28 after nearly five months, having secured bail from the Jharkhand High Court in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. He had resigned as Chief Minister before his arrest on January 31 and was subsequently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on charges related to the alleged land scam and money laundering.
Following Hemant Soren's arrest, Champai Soren took over as Chief Minister on February 2. However, he resigned from the position after just five months, paving the way for Hemant Soren to reassume the role on July 4.
In a video message, Hemant Soren accused the BJP of falsely implicating him. "In the 2019 Jharkhand Assembly Elections, the people of Jharkhand gave our party a mandate, but conspirators could not digest an Adivasi youngster holding such a high position. On January 31, the BJP made false allegations and removed me from the post of Chief Minister. With the people's blessings, I am here again. We will always be the voice of the people. Today, public opinion in Jharkhand will rise again. By taking charge, we will resume our work."
Hemant Soren's return as Chief Minister is expected to strengthen the JMM, which won three seats in the tribal-dominated state of Jharkhand in the Lok Sabha elections. In 2019, JMM contested the assembly elections in alliance with the Congress and Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD), securing a comfortable majority with 47 seats in the 81-member house.
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