Jharkhand crisis: Ruling MLAs leave for guest house in Ranchi

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Ranchi, Aug 27:
Amid
the
deepening
political
crisis
in
Jharkhand
due
to
the
uncertainty
over
Chief
Minister
Hemant
Soren’s
fate
as
an
MLA,
ruling
coalition
MLAs
are
being
shifted
to
a
guest
house
in
Khunti
district,
neighbouring
the
state
capital
Ranchi,
according
to
HT
reports.

The
three
buses
were
occupied
by
the
legislators
of
the
ruling
JMM-Congress-RJD
coalition
and
guarded
by
security
personnel.
Some
reports
said
the
legislators
are
being
shifted
to
a
“friendly
state”,
which
could
either
be
West
Bengal
or
Chhattisgarh.

Both
the
states
have
non-BJP
governments.

#WATCH
|
Jharkhand
political
crisis:
Two
buses
carrying
Jharkhand
MLAs
leave
from
the
residence
of
CM
Hemant
Soren
in
Ranchi
after
the
meeting
of
UPA
Legislators
concludes

pic.twitter.com/QBJHogiViU

— ANI (@ANI)

August
27,
2022

The
development
comes
in
the
wake
of
a
crisis
situation
in
Jharkhand
where
a
threat
to
Soren
being
“disqualified”
as
an
MLA
has
arisen,
while
a
marathon
third
round
of
a
meeting
of
legislators
of
the
ruling
alliance
is
underway
in
the
chief
minister’s
residence
to
chalk
out
a
strategy
to
deal
with
the
emerging
scenario.

All
the
ruling
MLAs
are
attending
the
meeting
along
with
their
luggage,
they
said.

Will
Jharkhand
CM
Soren
relive
the
Lalu-Rabri
story
and
make
his
wife
the
CM?

Governor
Ramesh
Bais
is
likely
to
send
the
order
of
disqualification
of
Soren
as
an
MLA
to
the
Election
Commission
of
India
(ECI)
on
Saturday,
Raj
Bhavan
sources
said.

Earlier,
three
locations
in
Chhattisgarh,
including
Barmuda
and
Raipur,
and
some
places
in
West
Bengal
were
identified
to
shift
MLAs.
“All
ruling
MLAs
will
be
sent
to
a
single
destination
if
the
need
arises.
All
the
MLAs
have
come
with
their
luggage
to
the
CM’s
house
to
attend
the
crucial
meeting
which
is
underway,”
another
source
said.

A
JMM
source
said
the
option
to
take
the
legislators
out
of
Jharkhand
was
open
and
all
preparations
have
been
made
but
the
final
decision
will
be
taken
only
after
the
disqualification
order
is
dispatched
by
the
governor.

In
the
rapidly
changing
political
scenario,
‘resort
politics’ is
the
need
of
the
hour
to
keep
the
numbers
of
the
ruling
alliance
intact,
party
sources
asserted.

Insiders
in
the
Congress,
a
crucial
ally
in
the
JMM-led
ruling
coalition,
had
said
that
ring-fencing
of
MLAs
by
parking
them
in
a
resort
in
a
“friendly
state”
such
as
West
Bengal,
Bihar
or
Chhattisgarh
is
being
considered
as
an
option
to
prevent
legislator
poaching
by
the
BJP.

However,
they
said
a
decision
on
the
future
course
of
action
can
be
taken
once
the
governor
communicates
to
them
the
ECI’s
opinion
on
the
possible
disqualification
of
Soren
as
an
MLA.
Meanwhile,
BJP’s
Godda
MP
Nishikant
Dubey,
known
for
his
controversial
remarks,
tweeted:
“According
to
Jharkhand
Mukti
Morcha
sources,
some
MLAs
reached
Chhattisgarh
at
2
am.
Most
of
the
MLAs
are
reluctant
to
go
and
are
waiting
for
the
orders
of
senior
JMM
leader
Basant
Soren.
Some
buses
are
parked
in
Ranchi
for
MLAs.”
The
ECI
sent
its
opinion
to
Bais
on
August
25
on
a
plea
seeking
that
Soren
be
disqualified
as
an
MLA
for
violating
electoral
norms
by
extending
a
mining
lease
to
himself.

Rural
Development
and
Parliamentary
Affairs
Minister
Alamgir
Alam
had
on
Friday
said
the
MLAs
of
the
ruling
alliance
cannot
be
poached
and
will
stay
in
Ranchi.

Another
minister,
Mithilesh
Thakur,
had
claimed
that
the
ruling
coalition
has
the
magic
number
of
“50
MLAs,
which
can
go
up
to
56”
while
asserting
that
they
had
learnt
‘resort
politics’
from
the
saffron
party.

Meanwhile,
Raj
Bhavan
sources
said
the
governor
may
take
a
call
by
evening
on
the
ECI
views
on
“disqualification”
of
the
chief
minister
as
an
MLA
and
send
the
disqualification
order
to
the
commission.

The
BJP,
the
petitioner
in
the
case,
has
sought
Soren’s
disqualification
for
violating
Section
9
(A)
of
the
Representation
of
the
People
Act,
1951,
which
deals
with
disqualification
for
government
contracts.

Jharkhand
in
turmoil
as
CM
Hemant
Soren
faces
disqualification

The
clause
states
that
“a
person
shall
be
disqualified
if,
and
for
so
long
as,
there
subsists
a
contract
entered
into
by
him
in
the
course
of
his
trade
or
business
with
the
appropriate
government
for
the
supply
of
goods
to,
or
for
the
execution
of
any
works
undertaken
by,
that
government”.

The
issue
was
referred
to
the
governor
and
by
him
to
the
EC,
as
Article
192
of
the
Constitution
states
that
on
rulings
regarding
an
MLA’s
disqualification,
the
question
shall
be
referred
to
the
governor
who
in
turn
“shall
obtain
the
opinion
of
the
Election
Commission
and
shall
act
according
to
such
opinion”.

The
ruling
coalition
has
49
MLAs
in
the
81-member
Assembly.
The
JMM,
the
largest
party,
has
30
MLAs,
the
Congress
18
legislators,
and
the
RJD
one.
The
main
opposition
BJP
has
26
MLAs
in
the
House.
The
coalition
partners
had
on
Thursday
claimed
that
there
was
no
threat
to
the
government.

The
JMM
had
exuded
confidence
that
Soren
will
remain
the
chief
minister
for
full
term
till
2024.