Hemant Soren to meet governor at 4pm, stake claim to form government: Report

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren will resign and seek a second term after a decisive victory, with his JMM alliance winning 56 seats.

Hemant Soren will visit Raj Bhavan in Ranchi at 4 pm to stake his claim to form the government in Jharkhand, reported news agency ANI.

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren (2L) with his wife Kalpana Murmu Soren (L) flashes the victory sign during celebrations after their JMM-led alliance secured majority votes in the Jharkhand assembly elections (AFP)(HT_PRINT)

In a landslide victory, the Hemant Soren-led JMM alliance secured 56 out of 81 seats in the state assembly, well above the majority mark of 41. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA managed only 24 seats despite a high-decibel campaign targeting Soren’s leadership and raising issues like "infiltration" and “corruption.”

Alliance partners hold meeting

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLAs gathered at the Chief Minister's camp office in Ranchi for a legislative party meeting.

Earlier, Congress held a meeting with its winning MLAs at the PCC office in Ranchi.

The parties also called an alliance meeting and have decided to meet Governor Santosh Gangwar at 4 pm on Sunday to stake a claim to form the government under Hemant Soren’s leadership, it reported.

AICC general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir confirmed on Saturday that Hemant Soren will continue as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand.

What is the finally results tally in Jharkhand?

The BJP, which contested 68 seats, secured 21 and emerged as the second-largest party with a vote share of 33.18 per cent. In comparison, JMM, which contested 43 seats, won 34 with a 23.44 per cent vote share.

The Congress won 16 seats, the RJD 4, and the CPI (ML) 2, all part of the INDIA bloc, which delivered a strong collective showing.

This victory is historic, as it is the first time that an incumbent government which completed a full term has been re-elected in Jharkhand.

After the results were announced on Saturday, Soren thanked voters and promised to work towards a "Golden Jharkhand." 

He said: “Let us walk together and resolve to build a Golden Jharkhand.”

Soren also expressed satisfaction with the INDIA bloc's performance and thanked people from all communities, farmers, women and youth for their overwhelming support.