Soren set to take oath as 11th chief minister of Jharkhand

Ranchi: JMM working president Hemant Soren is set to take oath as the 11th chief minister of Jharkhand on Sunday.

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Governor Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Soren at Mohrabadi Ground here around 2 pm, amid a galaxy of politicians and dignitaries, some of whom would be sharing the dais.

This will be the 44-year-old JMM leader's second stint as Jharkhand chief minister.

Official sources said Congress Legislature Party Leader Alamgir Alam, state Congress president Rameshwar Oraon and RJD MLA Satyanand Bhokta are also likely to take oath as cabinet ministers at the ceremony.

In the just-conducted Assembly elections, the JMM- Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alliance triumphed over the BJP, winning 47 seats in the 81-member House.

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Four other MLAs - three from the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) and one from the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) have also extended their support to the three-party coalition.

Among those who have confirmed attendance at Sunday's ceremony include Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI General Secretary D Raja, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Kamal Nath, according to JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who reached Ranchi on Saturday, exchanged pleasantries with the chief minister-designate, shortly after her arrival, he said.

Bhattacharya also stated that Soren had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the ceremony.

Modi, however, expressed his inability to attend the event due to his busy schedule. He has assured Soren that he would visit Jharkhand later, the JMM leader added.

In a gesture of goodwill, outgoing chief minister Raghubar Das has said that he would be attending the event.

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