Jharkhand UPA MLAs reach Raipur; Hemant Soren says ruling alliance ready to face every situation

Amid political uncertainty over reports that Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren could be disqualified as an MLA, nearly 31 MLAs and ministers of the ruling coalition have reached Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur.

The legislators went to Raipur in an apparent effort by the Chief Minister to keep its flock together. The ruling coalition in Jharkhand includes JMM, Congress and RJD.

Sources said those who went to Raipur include 13 from Congress including four ministers and 18 MLAs of JMM. They said that ministers belonging to JMM did not go.

Soren told reporters at the Ranchi airport that the ruling alliance is prepared to face every situation.

"No unforeseen incident is going to take place. We are ready for everything, the situation is under our control. I will let you know if I will also go with the MLAs," he said.

He said action is taken according to a strategy. "You will see how nicely the ruling alliance gives reply to a conspiracy," Soren said.

The Chief Minister and MLAs of the ruling coalition had gone to Latratu dam in the Khunti district of the state on Saturday.

Earlier on Saturday, the coalition members held a meeting amid speculation about Hemant Soren's possible disqualification as an MLA from the state assembly for allegedly violating poll norms by extending a mining lease to himself.

In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the ruling alliance has 30 MLAs of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), 18 MLAs of the Congress and one MLA of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

The Chief Minister's office released a statement on Thursday after speculation that the ECI has sent a report to the state Governor about Soren's disqualification.

It alleged that BJP leaders have themselves drafted the ECI report, "which is otherwise a sealed cover report".

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had tweeted that a letter from the ECI has reached the Raj Bhavan.

The BJP has sought the disqualification of Soren as an MLA accusing him of allocating a mining lease to himself while he held the portfolio of Mines Minister in 2021.

In February this year, the BJP submitted a memorandum to the state Governor seeking disqualification of Soren from the House under Section 9(A) of the Representation of People's Act.

The Governor had forwarded the BJP complaint to the ECI and the poll panel in May had issued a notice to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader.

( With inputs from ANI )