Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren To Seek Trust Vote Today, Meets UPA MLAs Ahead Of One-Day Assembly Session

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren held a meeting with UPA MLAs at circuit house after their arrival in Ranchi ahead of the special one-day assembly session.

New Delhi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren held a meeting with United Progressive Alliance (UPA) MLAs who returned from Raipur on Sunday ahead of the one-day session at the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly. 

The Jharkhand Cabinet recently approved the motion to hold a special meeting on Monday wherein the ruling alliance is expected to bring the confidence motion in favour of Soren in the house.

According to news agency ANI, CM Hemant Soren held a meeting with UPA MLAs at the circuit house after their arrival in Ranchi. 

Notably, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel denied that he was harbouring the Jharkhand UPA MLAs in his state in a bid to to save the Jharkhand government.

When asked about the Jharkhand UPA MLAs in Raipur, Baghel said, "Who am I to save anyone (Jharkhand govt)? ...They are guests in my state", ANI reported.

The statement comes days after CM Baghel said that the UPA coalition government in Jharkhand shifted its MLAs to Raipur to protect them from being poached in view of the BJP's "horse-trading" tactics.

Jharkhand has witnessed political uncertainty amid reports that Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren could be disqualified as an MLA. Nearly 31 MLAs and ministers of the ruling coalition in Jharkhand reached Chattisgarh's capital Raipur.

Those who went to Raipur involved 13 Congress leaders including four ministers and 18 MLAs of JMM, ANI reported citing sources.

Meanwhile, CM Hemant Soren on Sunday targeted the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party saying "the Opposition will be trapped in the traps they have laid for us,"

The BJP sought the disqualification of the Jharkhand Chief Minister as an MLA accusing him of allocating a mining lease to himself while he held the state Mining portfolio in 2021.

In February this year, the BJP submitted a memorandum to the state Governor seeking disqualification of CM Soren from the House under Section 9(A) of the Representation of People's Act. The Governor had forwarded the BJP complaint to the ECI and the poll panel in May had issued a notice to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader.