The council of ministers of the Hemant Soren-led government in Jharkhand will take oath today (November 5). Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar will administer the oath to the ministers at the Raj Bhavan. Governor Gangwar will administer the oath, with Stephen Marandi, senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and Protem Speaker, taking the oath first. Marandi, appointed on November 28, will oversee assembly proceedings until the election of a permanent Speaker.
According to a report by Indian Express, 10 ministers, including two women legislators, are set to be sworn into Jharkhand’s 12-member Cabinet on Thursday. The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled for 12.30 pm in the Ashok Garden of the Governor’s residence.
The remaining ministerial berth will likely remain vacant for now. According to sources quoted by the IE in its report, the INDIA bloc, the JMM and the Congress will each nominate one woman minister to the Cabinet.
The JMM-led alliance, which secured a majority in the 81-member assembly, will dominate the Cabinet, with JMM retaining most berths. Congress is expected to hold four positions, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), a surprise performer in the elections, will get one berth.
In the recent assembly polls, the JMM won 34 of the 43 seats it contested, achieving its highest-ever tally. Congress secured 16 seats, RJD won four, and the CPI (ML) gained two, collectively forming a strong INDIA bloc presence.
The BJP, which contested 68 seats, managed to win 21, emerging as the second-largest party.
The cabinet has also decided to convene an assembly session from December 9-12. This will mark the alliance’s first major legislative meeting since CM Soren took the oath as Jharkhand’s Chief Minister on November 28 for his fourth term.