Jharkhand results: CM Hemant Soren refuses Deputy CM post to Congress after INDIA bloc returns to power

Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has refused to give the Deputy Chief Minister’s post to the Congress, after INDIA bloc returned to power with a comfortable majority. The alliance has won 56 seats in the 81-member state Assembly. The NDA has won 24 seats in the results that were announced by the Election Commission earlier in the day.

As per sources to TV9 Network, the Congress had approached the CM through its senior leader Subodh Kant Sahay. However, Soren reportedly asked Congress to continue with the system as was before and not make any new demands.

JMM won 34 seats, while Congress won 16

While the JM had contested 43 seats this time, it won 34 of them. The Congress on the other hand garnered 16 seats, and 4 seats went to the RJD’s pocket. The CPI(ML) which is alsopart of INDIA bloc secured two seats.

The results were a setback for the BJP. A number of senior BJP leaders including PM Narendra Modi, and Home Minister Amit Shah had aggressively campaigned for the party had hoped to win the Assembly polls in the state on the backdrop of allegations of corruption in the state government.

During its campaigns, the JMM had focussed on the promises of welfare schemes. The party had also accused the BJP-led Centre of using the ED and CBI against Opposition parties. In the results announced on Saturday, both CM hemant Soren and his wife Kalpana won by record margins. The BJP failed to capitalise on the anti-incombency in the state.

CM Soren retains Barhait seat

Soren retained the Barhait seat by defeating BJP’s Gamliyel Hembrom by a margin of 39,791 votes. He had earlier resigned as the Jharkhand CM in January before being arrested in a money laundering case by the ED.