RANCHI: Two MLAs from the Congress and five MLAs from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) were inducted in Hemant Soren’s Cabinet in Jharkhand which was sworn-in on Tuesday. They were administered oath of office and secrecy as ministers by Governor Droupadi Murmu during a programme organised at Raj Bhawan in Ranchi.
Those inducted into Hemant Soren Government are - Champai Soren, Haji Hussain Ansari, Jagarnath Mahto, Joba Manjhi and Mithilesh Kumar Thakur of JMM, while Banna Gupta and Badal Patralekh took oath of office and secrecy as ministers from Congress party. Mithlesh Kumar Thakur and Badal Patralekh were given place in the Cabinet for the first time, while other five MLAs were made ministers in earlier governments also.
Notably, one ministerial berth still remains vacant as Jharkhand can have a maximum of 12 ministers, including the chief minister. Two MLAs - Rameshwar Oraon and Alamgir Alam of Congress party and Satyanand Bhokta of RJD have already taken oath earlier on December 29 during CM Hemant Soren swearing in ceremony.
Speculations are rife in political circles that one ministerial berth has deliberately been kept vacant for one of the JVM (P) MLAs Pradeep Yadav or Bandhu Tirkey, who are in regular contact with Congress party even before Assembly elections were held in Jharkhand. It is being expected that both Yadav and Tirkey will join the grand old party very soon as efforts are being made to merge JVM (P) with BJP.
The cabinet expansion was scheduled to take place on January 24, but was postponed due Chaibasa violence. The result of the 81-member House were announced on December 23 and the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance stormed to power after a gap of five years unseating the BJP by altogether clinching 47 seats in 81 member Assembly.
Differences over berths caused delay
The cabinet expansion was delayed due to the deadlock between the two parties as JMM was ready to give only four posts, while Congress wanted at least five ministers from its quota