A total of 11 MLAs took oath as ministers in the Hemant Soren Government in Jharkhand on Thursday. They included six new faces and two women
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his ministers pose for a group picture before the first cabinet meeting, in Ranchi, on Friday. Pic/PTI
Jharkhand Chief Minister (CM) Hemant Soren on Friday allocated portfolios to the newly appointed ministers in his government, consolidating power within the coalition following its strong electoral performance. Soren retained key departments such as Home and Personnel, while major portfolios like Finance, Health, and Panchayati Raj were allocated to Congress legislators, news agency PTI reported.
ADVERTISEMENT
The lone Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) minister was given Industries and Labour.
The new cabinet comprises 12 ministers, seven from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) — including the CM — four from Congress, and one from RJD. JMM, which won 34 of the 43 seats it contested, secured seven cabinet positions, including the CM's post. The Congress, with 16 seats, received four ministerial berths, while RJD, which performed well by winning four out of the six it contested on, was allocated one position, reported PTI.
Radhakrishna Kishore, a Congress legislator, was appointed to oversee Finance, Commercial Tax, Planning and Development, and Parliamentary Affairs. JMM’s Deepak Biruwa was assigned Revenue, Registration and Land Reforms (non-registration), and Transport while his party colleague Chamra Linda was entrusted with the departments of Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, and Backward Classes (excluding Minority Welfare). RJD's Sanjay Prasad Yadav was given Industries, Labour, and Planning, Training, and Skill Development.
Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Irfan Ansari was entrusted with the Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare, Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs, and Disaster Management departments. CM Soren also retained the Administrative Reforms, Road Construction, Building Construction, and the other departments that were not allocated to anyone, PTI reported.
Ramdas Soren (JMM) was given the School Education and Literacy and Registration departments, while his party colleague Hafizul Hasan was appointed to handle Water Resources and Minority Welfare. Congress MLA Deepika Pandey Singh was assigned Panchayati Raj, Rural Works, and Rural Development, while another minister from JMM, Yogendra Prasad, took charge of Drinking Water and Sanitation, as well as Excise and Prohibition departments.
Jharkhand portfolio allocation: Congress letter to CM leaked on social media
Sudivya Kumar (JMM) was made minister for Urban Development and Housing, Higher and Technical Education, and Tourism, Art, Culture, Sports, and Youth Affairs. Shilpi Neha Tirkey (Congress) was appointed as the minister for the Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Cooperatives departments.
In an unexpected development, sources indicated that All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary KC Venugopal had sent a letter to CM Soren detailing the allocation of portfolios to four of the Congress MLAs, which was later leaked. This prompted the government to make alterations to the initial allocation.
A Congress leader, on the condition of anonymity, told PTI that as per tradition, the party had sent an internal letter to the CM requesting certain portfolios for its MLAs. According to the leader, Venugopal had sought Health for Deepika Pandey Singh, Rural Development for Irfan Ansari, Agriculture and Disaster Management for Shilpi Neha Tirkey, and Finance and Planning for Radhakrishna Kishore. However, the letter was leaked on social media, leading Soren to make some changes.
A source added that Congress leaders have demanded an inquiry by the party high command to identify the source of the leak. Government officials have remained silent on the matter.
A total of 11 MLAs were sworn in as ministers in Hemant Soren’s government on Thursday, including six new faces and two women. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) contested 43 seats, winning 34 — the highest number of constituencies ever secured by the party in the assembly polls. Congress, with 16 seats, received four ministerial berths. CPI(ML) Liberation, which won two seats as part of the INDIA alliance, announced it would not participate in the cabinet. The RJD, a surprise contender in the Jharkhand assembly elections, won four of the six seats it contested and was granted one ministerial berth. In 2019, the RJD had only secured the Chatra seat.
The BJP, which contested 68 seats, won 21, emerging as the second-largest party in the assembly. Soren, the JMM executive president, was sworn in as the CM on November 28. The JMM-led coalition last month secured a dominant victory in Jharkhand, winning 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, defeating the BJP-led NDA.
(With PTI inputs)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
