Congress confident of win

After Champai Soren took the oath as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said he was confident that the INDIA bloc parties would win the floor test in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly.

“We have a majority in the 81-seat Assembly…Even Hemant Soren has been permitted by the special court (to cast his vote). This is a conspiracy by the ED. We will win the floor test. It has been clear from the start that the Modi government has been misusing the ED, CBI and Income Tax departments against the INDIA members. They are no longer independent institutions,” Ramesh said.

The Jharkhand High Court, earlier, scheduled the hearing on the petition filed by former chief minister Hemant Soren on February 5. Soren moved the high court challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the alleged land scam case.

Earlier, Soren was sent to five-day custody of the Enforcement Directorate by the high court on Friday in the alleged land scam case. The JMM chief was arrested by the ED after several summons and hours of questioning on Wednesday night.

Amid the political upheaval in Jharkhand, Champai Soren took oath as chief minister on Friday at the Raj Bhavan in Ranchi.

Earlier, the former CM moved the Supreme Court against his arrest, but the apex court refused to entertain his plea and asked him to approach the high court concerned with his petition.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has 29 seats, its ally Congress has 17 and the RJD and the CPI (ML) have 1 seat in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly.
With the support of 43 MLAs, the INDIA bloc has the numbers to sail through the floor test.