Hemant Soren's Return: A New Political Era for Jharkhand

Hemant Soren, the Chief Minister-designate, and his wife met Indian leaders after JMM's electoral victory in Jharkhand. Soren discussed the formation of an INDIA alliance government, after resigning to pave the way. His coalition outperformed the BJP-led NDA in the recent Assembly elections.

In a significant post-election development, Hemant Soren, the Chief Minister-designate of Jharkhand, along with his wife Kalpana Soren, held discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday. Soren, following his meeting with Shah, indicated that further engagements are scheduled in the near future.

Speaking to ANI, he expressed gratitude, stating, "Greetings to all of you. There will be meetings even in the days ahead. There are a lot of things. We have to form our government. We came here for blessings." Soren is set to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand on November 28 as the JMM-led alliance secured majority control in the legislative assembly elections. This marks the historic return of an incumbent government to power after completing a full term.

Following the coalition's success, Soren resigned as Chief Minister and made a formal claim to form a new government at Raj Bhawan, witnessed by Governor Santosh Gangwar. "We have started the procedure to form the (INDIA) alliance government and in that series, we have staked a claim to form Government in front of the Governor. I also tendered my resignation to him," stated Soren, with Congress and RJD leaders present.

The JMM, under Soren's leadership, led the INDIA bloc to victory, capturing 56 out of 81 seats in the Jharkhand assembly. The JMM itself secured 34 seats, while its allies contributed an additional 22 seats – with Congress taking 16, RJD four, and CPI-ML two.

In contrast, the BJP-led NDA managed to win only 24 seats. The BJP won 21, while allies AJSU party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and JD-U clinched one seat each. Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha also marked its presence with a win in the Dumri constituency by its chief, Jairam Kumar Mahato.

(With inputs from agencies.)