Jharkhand ruling coalition sends 40 MLAs to Hyderabad amid ‘horse-trading’ fears

“The reason why we had to fly our MLAs to Hyderabad is so that there can be no horse-trading, as it would become embarrassing for us. The Budget session has been called on February 9, and hopefully we will return before that,” said a Jharkhand MLA, part of the cohort in Hyderabad.

A political crisis had emerged in Jharkhand after the arrest of former CM and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case relating to the alleged illegal ownership of land.

Hemant Soren had submitted his resignation to the Governor on Wednesday night, just before his arrest by the ED. Soon after, MLAs led by Champai Soren, who Hemant had picked to be CM before his arrest, staked claim to form the government. However, Governor C P Radhakrishnan sought time, citing legal considerations.

As time elapsed, sources in the JMM-Congress-RJD coalition grew anxious on the possibility of horse trading. Champai Soren wrote to the Governor on Thursday afternoon, and before leaving for Raj Bhavan for the second time, 43 MLAs counted themselves in a video to allay all conspiracy theories.

However, the party members were left fuming after the Governor sought more time even amid their second visit, giving rise to further speculation. Not wanting to take any risks, the MLAs packed their bags and left for Ranchi airport and even sat on an aircraft, which, however, could not take off due to dense fog.

Two hours later, the Governor gave his go-ahead to appoint Champai Soren as the new CM.