Hemant Soren set to return as Jharkhand CM following consensus among JMM-led alliance MLAs
Ranchi, Jul 3: JMM executive president Hemant Soren is set to return as chief minister of Jharkhand for the third time following consensus among legislators of the party-led alliance in the state, party sources said on Wednesday.
Sources said Champai Soren, who had taken oath as the 12th chief minister of Jharkhand on February 2 after Hemant Soren's arrest, may resign from the post soon.
Champai Soren has sought an appointment with Governor CP Radhakrishnan and the CM will call on him at 7.30 pm on Wednesday, Raj Bhavan sources said
Leaders and MLAs of the alliance during a meeting at Champai Soren’s residence here unanimously decided to elect Hemant Soren as the JMM legislature party leader, they said.
"A decision was taken in the meeting to make Hemant Soren as the Chief Minister of the state again," a party source told PTI.
If sworn in, Hemant Soren will be the 13th chief minister of Jharkhand, which was carved out of Bihar on November 15, 2000.
Congress's Jharkhand in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir and its state president Rajesh Thakur also attended the meeting, besides Hemant Soren's brother Basant and wife Kalpana.
Hemant Soren was released from jail on June 28 after nearly five months, after the high court granted him bail in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. He had resigned as the CM shortly before his arrest on January 31.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, BJP MP Nishkant Dubey said, "The Champai Soren era is over in Jharkhand. In the family-oriented party, people outside the family have no political future. I wish the chief minister drew inspiration from Bhagwan Birsa Munda and stood up against the corrupt Hemant Soren ji."
Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi asserted that the tribals outside Shibu Soren’s family are only temporary faces in JMM. That family believes in using people as per their needs and requirements, he alleged.
Hemant is a son of Shibu Soren.
Marandi alleged that the real face of JMM, which had talked about rising above nepotism and electing a new chief minister five months ago, has once again been exposed.
He claimed that the "tiger of Kolhan", as Champai Soren is known in political circles, has been turned into a mouse today.
While Jharkhand can have 12 ministers, the state Cabinet at present has a strength of 10.
After the Lok Sabha elections, the strength of the JMM-led alliance in the state was reduced to 45 MLAs – JMM-27, Congress-17 and RJD-1.
Two JMM MLAs, Nalin Soren and Joba Majhi, are now parliamentarians, while Jama legislator Sita Soren resigned to contest the general elections on a BJP ticket. The JMM expelled two more legislators – Bishunpur MLA Chamra Linda and Boriyo MLA Lobin Hembrom – from the party.
Likewise, the BJP's strength in the assembly has reduced to 24, as two of its MLAs – Dhulu Mahto (Baghmara) and Manish Jaiswal (Hazaribag) –are now MPs. The saffron party has expelled Mandu MLA Jaiprakash Bhai Patel after he joined the Congress to contest the polls.
The current strength of the 81-member Jharkhand assembly is 76.
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Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao criticizes Centre for steep hike in commercial LPG price
Bengaluru: Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has slammed the BJP government in the Centre for the hike in the price of commercial LPG, saying the sudden rise of the fuel rate by Rs 993 a cylinder has hit the common man hard.
Critically commenting that this was expected of the Centre after elections to five states, Rao posted in Kannada on his ‘X’ account on Saturday that the people have been shown only the trailer and, the real struggle is yet to begin.
“Since there is no election in any state, there will certainly be major hikes in the rates of petrol, diesel and domestic LPG in barely a few days,” he has predicted.
The minister has further tweeted, “The rate of commercial LPG has gone up to Rs 3,152 per cylinder, which will hit the hotel industry greatly. Ironically, the direct impact of the hike will be on customers of hotel.”
He pointed out that, earlier, the price used to be hiked by approximately Rs 50 and Rs 100 a cylinder. “This time, the rate has been shot up by Rs 993. What do we call this except daylight robbery? Can this be the ‘Acche Din’ that the BJP has been promising?” Rao asked mockingly.
He also questioned the cause for BJP members’ silence for the rate hike, reminding that the party always ‘threw a tantrum’ when a non-BJP government does so even at a minor level. “Does this reflect their fear of ‘Vishwaguru’ Modi? Is it the party’s sheer disregard for the welfare of the people?” he has questioned.
ಊಹಿಸಿದಂತೆಯೇ ಪಂಚರಾಜ್ಯ ಚುನಾವಣೆ ಬಳಿಕ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಬೆಲೆಯೇರಿಕೆಯ ಛಾಟಿ ಬೀಸಲು ಪ್ರಾರಂಭಿಸಿದೆ. ಕಮರ್ಷಿಯಲ್ ಸಿಲಿಂಡರ್ ಬೆಲೆಯನ್ನು ಏಕಾಏಕಿ ₹993 ಏರಿಸುವ ಮೂಲಕ ಮರ್ಮಘಾತ ನೀಡಿದೆ. ಚುನಾವಣೆ ಮುಗಿದ ಕೂಡಲೇ ಬೆಲೆಯೇರಿಕೆ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿತವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಆದರೆ ಒಂದೇ ಭಾರಿ ₹993 ಹೆಚ್ಚಳ ಮಾಡಿರುವುದು ಅನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿತದ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಆಘಾತ ತಂದಿದೆ.…
— Dinesh Gundu Rao/ದಿನೇಶ್ ಗುಂಡೂರಾವ್ (@dineshgrao) May 2, 2026
