NEW DELHI/RANCHI: Acting Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday in his first visit to the national capital after leading his ruling alliance to an unprecedented second straight term in the state.
The Prime Minister’s Office posted pictures of the meeting. Soren was accompanied by his wife Kalpana, who has also been elected as an MLA in the recent elections.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader led the combine, which includes the Congress, the RJD, and the Left, to a comprehensive win over the BJP-led alliance.
In a post on X, Soren said he has invited Modi to his oath-taking ceremony in Ranchi on Thursday.
“Met Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji in Delhi today and invited him to attend the swearing-in ceremony of ‘Abua sarkar’ (our government) on 28th November,” Soren said on X in Hindi.
He also met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as well as former party chief Rahul Gandhi, besides AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and his wife, in New Delhi and invited them for his oath-taking.
“Today in Delhi, I met the Congress president respected Mallikarjun Kharge ji, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi ji, and senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra ji and invited them to attend the swearing-in ceremony of ‘Abua’ (our) government on November 28,” Soren said in another post on X.
Soren’s JMM-led alliance on Saturday stormed to power in Jharkhand for a second consecutive term, winning 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, despite an all-out campaign blitz by the BJP-led NDA, which managed only 24 seats.
He also retained the Barhait seat by defeating the BJP’s Gamliyel Hembrom by a margin of 39,791 votes.
Senior leaders of the INDIA bloc, including RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, may attend the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday.
“All top leaders of the bloc are being invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony at Morabadi Ground here on November 28. Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav are likely to attend the event,” a Congress leader had earlier said.
As far as ministerial berths are concerned, in all likelihood, there may be four ministers from the grand old party.
The JMM had contested 43 seats and won 34, the highest-ever tally of the party in its history. The Congress got 16 seats, RJD four, and the CPI (ML) secured two seats in the INDIA bloc. As per the arrangement, RJD may get one ministerial berth.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the oath-taking ceremony.
Soren had on Sunday met Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar and staked claim to form government, soon after leaders of the INDIA bloc in the state unanimously elected him as the legislature party leader.
He will officiate as the acting chief minister till the oath is administered to him.
Soren will be sworn in as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand, which was carved out of Bihar on November 15, 2000.
