Jharkhand: Champai Soren Takes Oath As CM; SC Setback, Extended ED Custody For Hemant Soren | Key Updates

Hemant Soren's plea against the arrest was on Friday heard by the Supreme Court, which asked the JMM leader to move Jharkhand High Court. Further, after the Supreme Court setback, Hemant Soren's ED custody was also extended by five days on Friday.

The nomination of JMM legislative party leader Champai Soren took place hours after he urged the governor to accept his claim to form the government at the earliest as there was "confusion" in the state which was without a chief minister since the resignation of Hemant Soren on Wednesday, deepening the political crisis.

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Amid this the ruling alliance planned to take its MLAs to Hyderabad from Ranchi to prevent any poaching attempts by the BJP. Hyderabad is the capital of Telangana which is governed by the Congress.

Jharkhand Politics | Key Updates

Champai Soren Takes Oath As Jharkhand CM

Champai Soren took oath as Jharkhand chief minister today, two days after Hemant Soren resigned as chief minister amid the ED probe and subsequent arrest in connection with a money laundering case. Champai Soren was named the CM by the ruling alliance of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Congress on Wednesday, the day Hemant Soren was questioned by the ED and arrested.

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Along with Champai Soren, senior Congress leader Alamgir Alam and RJD leader Satyanand Bhokta also took oath as state ministers. The oath-taking ceremony was held at the Durbar Hall of the Raj Bhavan and senior leaders of the JMM-led alliance were present on the occasion.

Champai Soren, born in 1956, was the state transport minister before being named CM by the JMM and is a seven-time MLA who represents the Seraikella constituency. He was as an Independent MLA before joining the JMM, a move he made when he was an active part of the movement demanding separate statehood for Jharkhand.

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Champai Soren, popularly known as ‘Jharkhand Tiger', has been a legislator from the Serikela assembly constituency for more than three decades since 1991 and is also known to be a loyalist of JMM supremo Shibu Soren.

Born in Jilinggora village of Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan district, Champai Soren is a matriculate and father of seven children. He is the son of a farmer and is not related to the Hemant Soren's family.

SC Asks Hemant Soren To Go To Jharkhand HC

The Supreme Court on Friday asked Hemant Soren to move the Jharkhand High Court against his arrest by the ED, saying that the top court will not interfere. Hemant Soren was arrested on Wednesday, two days after the Enforcement Directorate was trying to "locate" him as he went "untraceable" when ED sleuths arrived at his Delhi residence in connection with the summons over the money laundering case.

After the setback from Supreme Court, Hemant Soren's ED custody was also extended by five days on Friday.

On Tuesday, a day after an ED team visited the now-former Jharkhand CM and JMM executive president's Delhi residence to question him, the 48-year-old leader came by road from Delhi to Ranchi, undertaking a more than 1250 km journey.

Hemant Soren on Thursday moved the Supreme Court challenging his arrest.

-Jharkhand MLAs Shifting To Hyderabad

Amid concerns over the delay in the appointment of Champai Soren as the next chief minister by the governor, the majority alliance had also on Wednesday taken steps to shift its MLAs from Jharkhand in two chartered planes, in a bid to ring-fence them against a possible poaching attempt by the BJP.

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The planes, however, could not take off due to poor visibility, airport sources said, adding that the MLAs, who waited for around two hours at the airport, returned to the Circuit House, where they had been staying.