Amid a political crisis in Jharkhand, the Hemant Soren-led government will seek a vote of confidence during a special Assembly session on Monday, PTI reported.
Chief Minister Soren said he is ready for the motion of confidence to establish his majority in the House, according to a letter sent to MLAs from the Assembly secretariat.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Alamgir Alam said that there is a “state of confusion” in Jharkhand, due to which the government will prove its majority. “Our delegation met the Governor [on Thursday] and he assured us to clear the air in a day or two,” he said. “But nothing has happened till now.”
Alam said that the ruling coalition in Jharkhand has the popular mandate and the required numbers in the 81-member House, The Times of India reported.
He also noted that the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government had moved a motion of confidence on its own to show that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s “Operation Lotus” had failed there. Operation Lotus is a term used to refer to the BJP’s alleged attempts to orchestrate defections in Opposition parties.
“We [Jharkhand’s ruling coalition] are doing the same here,” Alam said.
On Thursday, the Aam Aadmi Party won a vote of confidence tabled by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the state Assembly. The chief minister had claimed that the BJP had offered Rs 20 crore each to its 40 MLAs to persuade them to switch sides.
The BJP dismissed the allegations and accused the Aam Aadmi Party of diverting attention from its government’s corruption.
Jharkhand political crisis
A political crisis has been looming over Jharkhand since last week after reports said that the Election Commission sought Soren’s disqualification as an MLA for allegedly being involved in an office-of-profit case.
An office-of-profit means a position that brings to the person holding it financial gains or benefits.
The Election Commission had informed the governor about its decision in a sealed cover, the reports said. However, Soren maintained that he did not receive any communication either from the Election Commission or the governor.
The poll panel order came in response to an office-of-profit complaint filed by the BJP alleging that Soren allotted a mining lease in his own name. Soren also holds the mining portfolio in Jharkhand.
In the 81-member state Assembly, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha led by Soren is the largest party with 30 MLAs. The Congress has 18 legislators, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal has one. The main opposition BJP has 26 MLAs in the House.
Amid the political uncertainty, the state’s ruling coalition on Tuesday shifted 31 of its 49 MLAs to Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh to prevent alleged attempts by the BJP to poach its legislators
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!