Hemant Soren govt wins trust vote in Jharkhand Assembly amid opposition walkout

NEW DELHI: The JMM-led government in Jharkhand headed by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday won the vote of confidence in the assembly amid a walkout by opposition members. A total of 45 MLAs, including nominated member Josheph P Galastaun, voted in favour of the confidence motion.

BJP and AJSU legislators walked out of the House as headcount for voting started. The BJP-led opposition has 24 legislators of the saffron party and three of the AJSU Party.

Earlier, BJP legislators trooped into the well seeking Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto's permission to allow MLA Bhanu Pratap Sahi to speak, which was turned down by the Speaker.

Seventy-five MLAs were present in the assembly during the voting. Independent legislator Saryu Roy abstained from voting.

The ruling alliance comprises the JMM, Congress and the RJD while it is supported from outside by the lone CPI (ML) Liberation legislator.

After the Lok Sabha elections, the strength of the JMM-led alliance has been reduced to 45 MLAs in the 81-member House, with 27 of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, 17 of the Congress and one of the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Two JMM MLAs -- Nalin Soren and Joba Majhi -- are now parliamentarians, while Jama legislator Sita Soren resigned to contest the Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket.

The JMM expelled two more legislators Bishunpur MLA Chamra Linda and Boriyo MLA Lobin Hembrom from the party.

Similarly, the BJP's strength in the assembly has reduced to 24, as two of its MLAs Dhulu Mahto (Baghmara) and Manish Jaiswal (Hazaribag) are now MPs. The saffron party expelled Mandu MLA Jaiprakash Bhai Patel after he joined the Congress.

The current strength of the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly is 76. The ruling JMM-Congress-RJD alliance had handed over a support list of 44 MLAs to the Governor when Hemant Soren staked his claim to form the government on July 3.

Hemant Soren, the JMM executive president, was sworn in as the 13th chief minister of the state on July 4, a day after his predecessor Champai Soren stepped down from the post.

Hemant Soren was released from jail on June 28 after the Jharkhand High Court granted bail to him in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. He had resigned as the chief minister, shortly before his arrest on January 31 by the Enforcement Directorate.