Champai Soren, the chief minister of Jharkhand, will be put to a trust vote in the state assembly on Monday. He was sworn in on Friday, the day after his predecessor Hemant Soren was taken into custody on suspicion of money laundering.
Thirty-five legislators of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance returned to Ranchi on Sunday ahead of the vote. They were sent to Hyderabad in Congress-ruled Telangana to prevent any possible poaching attempts from the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The legislators were lodged at Ranchi’s Circuit House.
The session is expected to begin at 11am Monday. Champai claimed the support of 47 MLAs, out of 48 in the alliance, while staking claim to form govt.
The majority of MLAs were shifted to Congress-governed Telangana, but the exact number flown out remained unclear even to the legislators themselves due to tight security. Sources said around 35 MLAs landed in two chartered flights in Ranchi around 8.50pm after a two-day stay in a Hyderabad resort to avert alleged poaching bids by BJP.
A special court in Ranchi on Saturday also allowed Hemant Soren to attend the floor test. People aware of the matter said the assembly security was likely to take control once Hemant Soren reached the House.
