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In a show of strength in the Jharkhand Assembly, the JMM-led ruling alliance won a trust vote it called on Monday with 48 MLAs voting in favour of the government in the 82-member House even as the Opposition BJP and AJSU boycotted the proceedings.
The special session was marked by a spirited address from Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who accused the BJP of trying to bring down his government and questioned the Governor for not clearing the air on the Election Commission’s recommendation on his eligibility to continue as MLA over the question of granting himself a mining lease last year.
The BJP later criticised Soren for calling the vote, saying “the government does not have any trust in its own MLAs”.
The trust vote win is being seen as a boost to the credibility of the Soren government while temporarily settling the uncertainty over its future. But JMM sources acknowledged that it does not settle the cracks in the ruling alliance emanating from the suspense over Soren’s fate as MLA. “The real test would be when the Governor’s decision on Soren’s eligibility as MLA is made public,” a source said.
The ruling alliance has 49 MLAs — 30 from JMM, 18 from Congress and one from RJD. But three Congress MLAs face disqualification after being arrested in West Bengal allegedly with unaccounted money in their vehicle. In their absence on Monday, NCP’s Kamlesh Singh and CPI(ML)’s Vinod Singh voted in the favour of the government.
The trust vote win is being seen as a boost to the credibility of the Soren government while temporarily settling the uncertainty over its future. But JMM sources acknowledged that it does not settle the cracks in the ruling alliance emanating from the suspense over Soren’s fate as MLA. “The real test would be when the Governor’s decision on Soren’s eligibility as MLA is made public,” a source said.
The ruling alliance has 49 MLAs — 30 from JMM, 18 from Congress and one from RJD. But three Congress MLAs face disqualification after being arrested in West Bengal allegedly with unaccounted money in their vehicle. In their absence on Monday, NCP’s Kamlesh Singh and CPI(ML)’s Vinod Singh voted in the favour of the government.