Soren faces crucial trial of strength today

The nine-day old Shibu Soren government in Jharkhand will face the crucial trial of strength in the Assembly on Friday.

The nine-day old Shibu Soren government in Jharkhand will face the crucial trial of strength in the Assembly on Friday, with both the UPA and rival NDA expressing confidence of sailing through the floor test in the 81-member House.

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The trial of strength was advanced by four days by a directive of the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

While the NDA has paraded 41 MLAs, including five Independents before Governor Syed Sibtey Razi and President APJ Abdul Kalam, Soren has claimed the support of 42 MLAs in the House, alleging that the NDA had "illegally" confined two of his supporting Independent MLAs Enos Ekka and Chandra Prakash Choudhary.

While 41 NDA MLAs took the oath on Thursday only 36 belonging to the UPA took the oath, with three of its MLAs - Aparna Sengupta and Bhanu Pratap Sahi 'Dehati' (both Forward Bloc) and NCP member and minister in the Soren government Kamlesh Kumar Singh, remaining absent.

Following the swearing-in of MLAs on Thursday, Pro-Tem speaker Pradip Kumar Balamuchu served a notice to Ekka, asking him to show cause as to why he should not be disqualified as a member of the House since he was supporting the NDA against the directive of his Jharkhand party.

Late last night, NDA legislature party leader and former chief minister Arjun Munda said that he was "confident of wining with the support of all the 41 members in the alliance."