Day after reports of the Election Commission recommending the disqualification of Hemant Soren as an MLA, the Jharkhand held a meeting of UPA MLAs at his residence in Ranchi today. Soren and his JMM party have maintained that they have not received any communication from the Poll Panel or the Jharkhand Governor on his disqualification.
Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren today presided over the meeting of the ruling party's ministers and the legislature party at his residence in Ranchi pic.twitter.com/mZfvOp5NYR— ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2022
Speaking to ANI, Senior JMM leader Supriyo Bhattacharya said, “We have more than 50 MLAs. A number of BJP leaders are also in touch with us. We are comfortably enjoying the majority and whenever the Governor asks we will prove our majority.”
The JMM Ally in the state – the Congress too backed the JMM government and assured that ‘All is well’. “Our government is in majority. We will follow whatever our Congress President Sonia Gandhi will say. All is well,” Jharkhand Minister and Congress leader Banna Gupta said.
Ranchi | Whatever decision JMM takes, as the major party of the alliance, Congress will support it. The top leadership of Congress has instructed us for the same: Bandhu Tirkey, Jharkhand Congress Working President pic.twitter.com/4ewrhc2HzY— ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2022
According to PTI, the Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais may take a call Friday on the Election Commission’s view on Soren’s disqualification as an MLA. The EC is said have told the governor that Soren should be “disqualified" as a legislator for violating electoral norms, but the Raj Bhavan has not yet officially confirmed the reports.
Hement Soren however denied the claims about the disqualification and issued a statement saying, “was apprised of several media reports about ECI sending a report to the Jharkhand Governor ‘recommending disqualification as a MLA’. No communication in this regard has been received by CMO from either ECI or the Governor.”
Soren has also alleged “blatant misuse of constitutional authorities and public agencies", while reacting to the “disqualification" claims.
The key petitioner in the case – the BJP - has sought Soren’s disqualification for violating section 9 A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which deals with disqualification for government contracts.
The UPA alliance has 49 MLAs in the 81-member assembly. Within the United Progressive Alliance, JMM as the largest party has 30 MLAs, the Congress 18 legislators, and the RJD one. The main opposition BJP has 26 MLAs in the House. The coalition partners, meanwhile, claimed that there was no threat to the government.
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