The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday put on hold its decision to withdraw support to Shibu Soren government in Jharkhand and appears to have made up its mind to heading a government weighing the pros and cons of having a non-tribal chief minister.
In a damage control exercise after the Bharatiya Janata Party ally Jharkhand Mukti Morcha supported the government in the cut motion in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, its Member of Parliament Hemant Soren claimed that it happened by "mistake" and made it clear there was no move to form a government in Jharkhand with the Congress' backing.
Seeking justice for the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, leaders of various political parties on Wednesday met President Pranab Mukherjee and sought his intervention in directing the government to order a Supreme Court-monitored Special Investigation Team probe into the violence.
The BJP will enter this election, as it does every election, as if it is fighting to prevent a 2004-style defeat. This is a party that wins big because it always behaves as if its back is to the wall, predicts Mihir S Sharma.
Once an apprentice with Tata Steel, 46-year-old Gopal Krishna Patar now proudly carries the 'giant killer' tag after humbling Jharkhand chief minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha supremo Shibu Soren in the by-election to the Tamar assembly constituency
Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha appear to be inching closer towards forming an alternative government in Jharkhand which has been under President's Rule imposed after fall of the Arjun Munda government on January 8.
Soren spent more than an hour with Prasad at RIMS Director's bungalow, where the RJD leader is staying. Coming out of the RIMS, Soren told reporters, 'we will fight Bihar elections together'.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which had once dubbed Jharkhand Mukti Morcha supremo Shibu Soren as 'tainted', on Wednesday saw nothing wrong in making him the chief minister of Jharkhand, saying it was a strategy to thwart attempts to break up parties or continue with President's Rule in the state. Newly-appointed BJP chief Nitin Gadkari said his party would support the JMM for five years. But he evaded a query on what the BJP will do the Supreme Court rules against Soren.
Forced to give up his chair twice after brief stints as chief minister, Shibu Soren on Wednesday took oath at a 'a very auspicious time' on astrological advice, to ensure that he can serve his full term this time.The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief was scheduled to take oath as Jharkhand chief minister in the afternoon, but advanced it by three and half hours on the advice of astrologers, party sources said.
Though the Bharatiya Janata Party has managed to forge an alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha for government formation in Jharkhand, there is no clarity as of now on whether the Shibu Soren-led party will become part of the National Democratic Alliance.
Shibu Soren, who is all set to become the next chief minister of Jharkhand, on Monday said the new alliance comprising Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Bharatiya Janata Party and the All Jharkhand Students Union will provide a stable government in the mineral-rich state."Jharkhand needs a stable government and we are confident of providing one," the JMM chief said at a joint press conference with BJP president Nitin Gadkari.Soren said he was aware of the functioning of Gadkari.
A sizeable number of MLAs from across state assemblies cross-voted in support of President-elect Droupadi Murmu, defying their parties' stated support to Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, sources said on Thursday.
With the Congress and its allies winning 25 seats and emerging as the single largest alliance in Jharkhand, the party has begun exploring options of forming the next government in the state realising that they have to do business with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's Shibu Soren who now controls the levers of power in the state having won 18 seats in the assembly elections.
Jharkhand was headed for a hung assembly on Wednesday as the Congress and its ally Jharkhand Vikas Morcha gained an edge by leading in 24 seats in the 81-member House. As the counting of votes progressed, Shibu Soren-led JMM emerged as the likely kingmaker, leading in 15 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party - Janata Dal-United combine gave the Congress tough competition by leading in 23 seats.The Congress is contesting the elections with Babulal Marandi-led JVM.
After ensuring Jharkhand chief ministership for party chief Shibu Soren, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has now upped the ante for ensuring two ministerial berths at the Centre for its party MPs. Soren is learnt to have apprised the United Progressive Alliance leadership about the party's choice for JMM general secretary and Rajmahal MP Hemlal Murmu and the party's chief whip and Giridih MP Teklal Mahato for the berths in the Union council of ministers.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal on Saturday announced its support for Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren in forming the next government in Jharkhand after the resignation of incumbent Madhu Koda.Prasad also dismissed the recent statement of Koda in which he had said he was not joining any government and had dubbed the current political situation 'ill-timed and unnecessary' as just an outburst.
Shibu Soren's hopes of making a comeback as Jharkhand chief minister by replacing incumbent Madhu Koda received a boost today with the Rashtriya Janata Dal assuring the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha supremo of its support. Soren said after his meeting with RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in Delhi that the railway minister had not only promised his party's backing, but also assured him help in securing the support of independents.
Election officials said 40 per cent votes were cast for the 93 seats in Bihar and 25 per cent for the 28 in Jharkhand till late afternoon.\n
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has asked the Bharatiya Janata Party to share power with them in Jharkhand on 50:50 basis, two days after the saffron party said it would head the coalition for the rest of the tenure (four and half years) of the present house.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi along with some opposition leaders too expressed surprise over the President not being invited to the important occasion of shifting Parliament to new premises.
It is unfortunate that the Congress has taken a decision of contesting the elections in alliance with the JMM without even consulting allies in the UPA government, he said.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha on Wednesday said they had no differences with the United Progressive Alliance and would contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls in alliance with UPA and its allies in Jharkhand. JMM MP from Giridih, Teklal Mahto, said, "We had contested the last election together and won 13 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state. JMM would contest the forthcoming election with the UPA."
The Congress on Wednesday termed the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leadership's decision to project two new persons for the post of chief minister as their own, saying that the party would not initiate any step to form a new government in Jharkhand, which is under President's Rule.
The Jharkhand high court has reserved its order on his petition challenging the arrest warrant against him.
The Leader of Opposition in Bihar assembly was asked about his decision to support Yashwant Sinha, a former Union minister, and not Murmu who is tipped to become the first tribal woman to occupy the top post.
"Our parliamentary board will meet within a week to decide on the matter," Soren said, when asked whether the party, which is part of the UPA, would support it in case of a trust vote.
JMM chief Shibu Soren on his disappearance, surrender and plans for the forthcoming assembly election in Jharkhand.
"This is wrong. It is about the United Progressive Alliance and not about having cases against you. It is not about who is tainted or not. Ask (Railway Minister) Lalu Prasad Yadav. Doesn't he have cases against him?" Soren, MP from Dhumka in Jharkhand, told reporters. His remarks came when reporters sought his reaction about his non-induction in the Cabinet.
"The governor has returned to Ranchi...so far he has not issued any order," an official source in Raj Bhavan said.
Soren, still in legal tangles in another double murder case, was given the benefit of doubt along with 13 others by Jamtara Additional District and Sessions Judge Arun Kumar, for want of evidence.
Chowdhury said that the visiting MPs will present their observations on Manipur in Parliament.
Soren is an accused in the Chirrudih massacre of 1975 in which 10 people were killed.
Days after Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was booed by the BJP activists during a rally attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren too faced a similar situation when hundreds of BJP supporters jeered at him and shouted anti-government slogans on Thursday.
Soren described the police firing as 'inhuman' and 'barbaric'.
Modi has proven to be a past master in the art of political survival. This means that learning to navigate the choppy waters of coalition government will be an art he will not take long to master, argues Shyam Parekh.
The minority judgment of the 1998 verdict has highlighted the prima facie absurdity in the paradox created by the majority judgment, it said.
According to the sources, the meeting will be held at 10 am on Thursday in the chamber of Rajya Sabha LoP.
Shibu Soren has taken risks all his life, and reaped rewards. But it seems he may soon run out of luck.
JMM has called for observing 'black day' in Ranchi following the sentencing of Shibu Soren.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren was on Tuesday given life imprisonment for murdering his private secretary Shashi Nath Jha.
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