Jharkhand: 11 MLAs sworn in as ministers of Hemant Soren government

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren with his wife and JMM leader Kalpana Soren as they arrived to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the state cabinet ministers, in Ranchi, Thursday, December 5, 2024. (Pic/PTI)

Eleven MLAs, six from JMM, four from Congress and one from RJD were sworn in as ministers in the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand on Thursday, reported PTI.

Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar administered the oath to Ashok Udyan at the Raj Bhavan in Ranchi, marking an important step in the formation of the state government.

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Congress leader Rajesh Thakur had confirmed that the final list of ministers was prepared and sent to the governor by Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

The swearing-in ceremony began around noon with Stephen Marandi, the Protem Speaker of the assembly, taking his oath.

Marandi, a senior member of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), was appointed Protem Speaker following Hemant Soren's swearing-in as chief minister on November 28. Following Marandi's oath, the remaining ministers took their oaths.

The six JMM legislators, who took oath as ministers, are Sudivya Kumar, Deepak Birua, Ramdas Soren, Chamra Linda, Yogendra Prasad and Hafijul Hasan.

It was earlier speculated that Congress expected to secure four berths in the new cabinet, which the party managed to achieve.

Congress MLAs Deepika Pandey Singh, Shilpi Neha Tirkey, Irfan Ansari and Radhakrishna Kishore were sworn in as ministers.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which performed better than expected in the assembly elections, securing victories in four out of the six seats it contested, received one ministerial berth. Sanjay Prasad Yadav from the party secured the berth.

In 2019, the party had only secured the Chatra seat, where Satyanand Bhokta emerged victorious.

The remaining cabinet positions will be allocated to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, which won 34 out of the 43 seats it contested, marking its best-ever performance in Jharkhand assembly elections.

The Congress, which secured 16 seats, and the RJD, with four seats, have formed a crucial part of the ruling alliance.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation (CPI(ML)L) also won two seats under the INDIA alliance.

The JMM-led alliance achieved a landslide victory in the recent assembly elections, securing a total of 56 seats in the 81-member assembly.

The opposition BJP, meanwhile, secured 21 seats, emerging as the second-largest party in the state.

The assembly session is scheduled to take place from Monday to Thursday, following the formation of the new government.

(With inputs from PTI)