Will Soren survive? Ranchi vote today

As the Soren Govt readies to face the trial of strength in the assembly, the mood is downcast in the UPA camp.

As the Shibu Soren government readied to face Friday's show of strength in the assembly, the mood was downcast in the UPA camp. Reason: only 37 UPA MLAs — out of the 42 names submitted to Governor Syed Sibtey Razi — took oath in the assembly on Thursday.

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Enos Ekka and Harinarayan Rai — legislators whose support was claimed by Soren -- took oath but remained firmly with the NDA (which paraded 41 legislators).

Three MLAs didn't turn up: Kamlesh Singh (NCP) and Aparna Sengupta and Bhanupratap Sahi (Forward Bloc). The Forward Bloc has said Sengupta and Sahi will take oath on Friday and support Soren. The NCP has issued a whip to Kamlesh Singh to vote in favour of Soren.

Meanwhile, pro tem Speaker Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu served a notice to Ekka, asking him why he should not be disqualified for going against his party's (the Jharkhand Party) directive of supporting the UPA.

The numbers game in Jharkhand is now pegged at: UPA 39, NDA 41. If Ekka is disqualified, the NDA would be left with 40 members. The UPA, however, would even then have 39 — one of its members is the pro tem speaker, who can only vote in case of a tie.