Amid allegations of the Bharatiya Janata Party trying to topple the Jharkhand government, the Election Commission on August 26 disqualified Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren as MLA over a mining case.
The development came just hours after the Jharkhand CM presided over a meeting of the legislators and ministers of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led alliance at his residence in Ranchi to discuss the political crisis that has gripped the state
The Raj Bhavan had notified earlier that Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais will likely take a call on the Election Commission’s view on the “disqualification” of CM Hemant Soren as MLA, today.
The ECI had made the recommendation to Governor Ramesh Bais after he sought its advice on allegations levelled against Soren by the BJP and the latter seeking action against him for holding a mining licence which is equivalent to holding an “office of profit”.
If his membership of the legislature is revoked by the Governor, to continue as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren will have to contest a by-election within six months, win the same, and ensure his party renominates him as the leader.
What triggered the political crisis in Jharkhand
Earlier this year, the saffron party had written to the Governor seeking the Jharkhand CM’s disqualification as MLA under Section 9(A) of the Representation of People’s Act. They had alleged that he misused his position to obtain a stone mine’s licence. Soren, however, had applied for cancellation of the lease in the same month (February) itself. He claimed that the mining lease did not fall under the purview of the office of profit rules as he got the 10-year lease in 2008 when he was not the chief minister.
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