The Champai Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress coalition government won the floor test in the Jharkhand assembly on Monday.
The ruling alliance got 47 votes including that of a nominated member in the 81-member House. The opposition NDA alliance received 29 votes. The floor test was necessitated after the new government under Champai Soren was sworn-in just months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and the assembly elections.
Soren, 67, succeeded Hemant Soren who had to resign following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the money laundering land scam case. The JMM executive president was present in the House during the floor test proceedings after being granted permission to attend the same.
While addressing the assembly, Soren accused the Jharkhand governor CP Radhakrishnan of being involved in his arrest. “On the night of January 31, for the first time in the country, a CM was arrested…and I believe that Raj Bhavan was also involved in this incident,” he had said ahead of the floor test.
“Tribals and Dalits are not safe under the present regime in the country… I will come back with more strength. Opposition’s conspiracy will be thwarted,” Soren said during his speech in the House.
Soren is currently in five-day custody of the ED which is probing money laundering case against him.
During the floor test debate, the chief minister accused the BJP of using central agencies to frame his predecessor in the case. “BJP tried to destabilise a democratically elected Jharkhand government,” Champai Soren said.
On the Champai Soren government’s floor test win, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “There was no doubt. We were saying beforehand that we would win this Trust Vot with a good majority. 47 MLAs were in support. ‘Operation Keechad’ has failed.”