Jharkhand CM Soren calls for meeting of ruling allies on Saturday

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has called a meeting of legislators on Saturday, which will be attended by ruling alliance partners Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), people aware of the development said on Thursday.

Top functionaries in both JMM, which is led by Soren, and the Congress confirmed the development. “A meeting has been called by the chief minister to discuss the prevailing political situation in the state,” a senior JMM functionary said, requesting anonymity.

“We have been directed to attend the CM’s meeting,” said a senior Congress legislator, not willing to be named.

News of the meeting comes a day after the Supreme Court reserved its order on a petition of Jharkhand goverment and chief minister Soren challenging a June 3 order of the state high court on the maintainability of two separate PILs seeking Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) probes against Soren.

Similarly, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has also completed the arguments on the “office of profit” complaint filed by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against Soren.

Any adverse decision against the chief minister could push the state polity into a fresh turmoil in the state.