Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren wins trust vote in assembly amid opposition walkout

NEW DELHI: Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Monday passed the floor test in the state assembly, securing 45 votes out of the total 76 members. The floor test was conducted during a special session of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, following Soren's oath-taking ceremony as the chief minister on July 4 at Raj Bhavan, Ranchi.
During his earlier address, Soren launched a subtle attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying, "arrogant people intoxicated with power" tried to "silence" him but with the support of the people, he was released from jail.
The chief minister had been granted bail by the Jharkhand high court on June 28, after spending nearly five months in jail in connection with a land scam case.
Prior to Hemant Soren's return, Champai Soren served as the chief minister of Jharkhand for a brief period of five months. He took oath on February 2 at Raj Bhavan, following Hemant Soren's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on January 31 in a money laundering case linked to the alleged land scam. Hemant Soren had resigned as chief minister before his arrest.
Hemant Soren's previous stint as the Jharkhand CM began on December 29, 2019, in an event termed as 'Sankalp Diwas,' marking the beginning of a new era for the state.
The JMM had formed an alliance with the Congress and Lalu Prasad's RJD for the 2019 assembly elections, securing a comfortable majority with 47 seats in the 81-member house.