RANCHI : Jharkhand Transport Minister Champai Soren, who was named as JMM legislative party leader, after Hemant Soren’s arrest, has been allotted time by Governor CP Radhakrishnan on Thursday to meet him at Raj Bhavan.
Champai Soren, earlier in the day, wrote a letter to the Governor staking a claim to form the new government in the state. The Governor has allotted a time of 5.30 pm today to Champai Soren to meet him at Raj Bhavan.
Champai Soren stated in the letter that he has the support of 47 legislators, enough to form a government in the 81-member Assembly state.
In the letter, Champai Soren stated, “Sir, currently there has been no government in existence in the state for the last 18 hours. There is a situation of confusion in the state. Being the constitutional head, we all the MLAs and the people of the state expect from you that soon you will pave the way for the formation of a government and will take the state out of confusion.”
He further requested the governor to accept his claim to form the government and nominate him as the Chief Minister.
“Sir, therefore, I respectfully request you to accept my claim to form the government and please nominate me as the Chief Minister soon and pave the way for the formation of a new government,” the letter mentioned.
“At the same time, it is also requested that I be given time to meet all the MLAs at Raj Bhavan today so that I can meet you along with the MLAs and assure you that the majority is with me, I will form a stable government in the state and that I am capable of giving,” the letter further stated.
Champai Soren, the state transport minister, is a seven-time MLA and he represents the Seraikella constituency in Jharkhand. Before joining the JMM, he was an independent MLA.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, JMM Chief Hemant Soren met Governor CP Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhawan and handed over his resignation after over six hours of questioning by the ED in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the alleged land scam case.
According to the ED, CM Soren was questioned as a part of the probe into the ‘huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia’.
The probe pertains to huge amounts of proceeds of crime generated by forging official records by showing ‘fake sellers’ and purchasers in the guise of forged or bogus documents to acquire huge parcels of land having value in crores. (ANI)