What is in store if Soren is disqualified: The numbers explained

India

oi-Prakash KL

New Delhi, Aug 26: Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais may take a call Friday on the Election Commission’s view on “disqualification” of Chief Minister Hemant Soren as an MLA, amid the rapidly changing political scenario in the state.

The EC is believed to have told the governor that Soren should be “disqualified” as a legislator for violating electoral norms, sources informed PTI.

Let us look at the Jharkhand Assembly numbers, how the JMM is placed and where does the opposition stand, and also know the possible scenarios in the event of Soren being disqualified.

Jharkhand in turmoil as CM Hemant Soren faces disqualification

How numbers stack up in Jharkhand assembly?
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is the largest party in the assembly with 30 seats in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly. The majority mark is 41 and it has the support of 18 MLAs from the Congress and one MLA from the Rashtriya Janata Dal. However, three dissedent Congress leaders – Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kacchap and Naman Bixal Kongari – were arrested in Bengal in West Bengal’s Howrah for possessing more than Rs 45 lakh in their car.

Whereas the opposition BJP has 26 MLAs, 15 short of majority mark. It is followed by Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (P) (3), All Jharkhand Students Union (2), Communist Party of India (M-L) (1), Nationalist Congress Party (1) and two independents.

What happens if Soren is disqualified? The Possible Scenarios:
If Soren resigns, he has to be re-elected and stake claim again to form the new government, but he has to win an election to continue as the CM in six months.

The second scenario is the Governor barring him from contesting elections after his resignation. In that case someone from his family or party should be elected as the CM.