New govt will usher in an era of peace in Jharkhand, says Rahul as Hemant Soren takes oath as CM

Opposition show of strength at the swearing-in ceremony of Hemant Soren as Jharkhand CM (Express Photo: Partha Paul)

Apart from Gandhi, TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, CPI leader Sitaram Yechury, NCP’s Sharad Pawar were among senior leaders in attendance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was invited to the occasion, expressed his inability to attend the ceremony due to his busy schedule.

I attended the swearing in ceremony of CM Hemant Soren Ji & ministers from the Congress party in Ranchi today. I’m confident that the new Govt in Jharkhand will work for the benefit of all citizens & usher in an era of peace & prosperity in the state. pic.twitter.com/nIg1svJ0uL

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 29, 2019

Governor Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office and secrecy to Soren. This will be 44-year-old’s second stint as Jharkhand chief minister.

Along with Soren, Congress Legislature Party Leader Alamgir Alam, state Congress president Rameshwar Oraon and RJD MLA Satyanand Bhokta were also sworn in as state cabinet ministers

Taking to Twitter, Gandhi expressed confidence that the new coalition government in Jharkhand would work for all and usher in an era of peace and prosperity. “I attended the swearing-in ceremony of CM Hemant Soren Ji and ministers from the Congress party in Ranchi today. I’m confident that the new Government in Jharkhand will work for the benefit of all citizens and usher in an era of peace and prosperity in the state,” he said.

JMM working president Hemant Soren takes oath as Jharkhand chief minister (Express Photo: Partha Paul)

In the recently concluded Assembly elections in Jharkhand, the BJP was swept out of power. This came less than seven months after it stormed back to power at the Centre with its highest tally in the Lok Sabha elections. The coalition of the JMM, Congress and RJD led by Soren won 47 seats in the 81-member House.  While the JMM won 30, Congress won 16 and RJD 1 and Soren emerged winner from both the Dumka and Barhait constituencies that he contested.

The BJP, on the other hand, had to settle with only 25 seats. Former Chief Minister Raghubar Das was defeated by BJP rebel Saryu Roy in Jamshedpur East. For the BJP, the defeat in Jharkhand is the loss of power in the fifth state in a year following the fall of its governments in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.