The new Champai Soren-led Mahagathbandhan govt in Jharkhand aced its first test in the 82-member assembly on Monday by garnering 47 votes in a confidence motion that also saw jailed ex-CM Hemant Soren being escorted to the House by ED amid loud cheers and slogans. BJP contributed 25 of the 29 votes against the motion, while three came from AJSU Party and one from Kamlesh Singh of NCP. BJP's Sindri MLA Indrajit Mahto couldn’t vote because of illness, and Independent MLA Amit Yadav didn’t turn up.
Another Independent, Saryu Roy, abstained from voting, as did a JMM legislator. As is the custom, speaker Ravindra Nath Mahto didn’t vote, while the Gandey seat is currently vacant after the recent resignation of JMM’s Sarfaraz Ahmed.
Those who voted in support of the coalition govt led by “Kolhan Tiger” Champai included 29 from JMM, 16 from Congress, Satyanand Bhokta of RJD, Pradeep Yadav of JVM-P, Vinod Singh of CPI (ML) and Anglo-Indian nominee Glen Joseph Galstaun.
Prior to the confidence motion being moved, governor C P Radhakrishnan read out what he said were “achievements of the Hemant Soren government”, only to be disrupted by a din caused from the treasury benches. Slogans like “Jail ka faatak tutega, Hemant Soren chhutega” reverberated through the hall in support of the ex-CM, who was allowed to vote on the orders of a PMLA court.
