Champai Soren takes oath as Jharkhand minister in Hemant Soren-led cabinet

NEW DELHI: Former Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren on Monday took oath as minister in the newly-formed Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand cabinet during a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan in Ranchi. Champai Soren had previously resigned from his position as chief minister on July 3, a day before Hemant Soren was sworn in as the 13th chief minister of Jharkhand on July 4.
Champai Soren, who assumed the role of chief minister after the arrest of Hemant Soren, resigned just five months into his tenure, allowing Hemant Soren to reclaim leadership. Champai Soren had been sworn in as the 12th chief minister in February earlier this year.
Accompanying Champai Soren in taking the oath of office as ministers were several Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leaders, including Baidya Nath Ram, Babi Devi, Mithilesh Thakur, Deepak Birua, and Hafizul Hasan. Leaders from the Congress, Rameshwar Oraon, Banna Gupta, Irfan Ansari, Dipika Pandey Singh, and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Satyanand Bhokta, also took their oaths as Ministers.
Hemant Soren had recently reinforced his position by winning a floor test during a special session of the state assembly. He secured the vote of trust with the support of 45 MLAs. Hemant Soren was sworn in as the 13th chief minister of Jharkhand on July 4 at Raj Bhavan in Ranchi.
Hemant Soren's reappointment comes after his release from Birsa Munda Jail on June 28. He was imprisoned for nearly five months following his arrest on January 31 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on charges related to an alleged land scam and money laundering. He had resigned as Chief Minister before his arrest.
In a video message, Hemant Soren accused the BJP of making false allegations against him.
"In the 2019 Jharkhand Assembly elections, the people of Jharkhand gave our party mandate but the conspirators were unable to digest how an Adivasi youngster can sit in such a high position. At last, on January 31, they (the BJP) made false allegations against me and removed me from the post of Chief Minister. Because of the people's blessings, I'm out here sitting in front of you. We will always be the voice of the people. Today, the public opinion of the people of Jharkhand will rise again. By taking charge, the work will be carried out again," said Hemant Soren.
In the 2019 state assembly elections, the JMM had formed an alliance with Congress and the RJD, securing a comfortable majority with 47 seats in the 81-member legislative assembly.