Hemant Soren Set To Return As Jharkhand Chief Minister

Chief Minister Champai Soren is expected to resign on Wednesday, paving the way for Hemant Soren’s return as Jharkhand’s top elected official. Sources familiar with the matter indicated that formalities for the new government formation would commence soon after a unanimous decision was reached at the legislature party meeting of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance at Champai Soren’s residence. The meeting, attended by Hemant Soren and Congress’s Jharkhand in-charge Ghulam Ahmed Mir, concluded with plans for Champai Soren’s resignation later in the day.

Champai Soren assumed the role of Chief Minister of the JMM, Congress, and Rashtriya Janata Dal alliance government on February 2, following the arrest of Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 on charges related to money laundering in an alleged land scam.

Hemant Soren was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court on June 28, after spending five months in jail. He has consistently denied the charges, asserting that he was falsely implicated as part of a conspiracy to silence dissent against the central government.