Daily News

Ranchi/ New Delhi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren resigned on Sunday night after failing to muster enough support for his government in a test of strength in the Assembly tomorrow.

Soren gave his resignation letter to Governor M O H Farooq, said his son Hemant Soren in Ranchi. The Governor has asked Soren to continue as caretaker Chief Minister till further arrangement, said an official. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief was counting on the support of the Congress and the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantric (JVM-P) but the parties kept him in suspense about what stand would they take in the trust vote.

In a last ditch attempt, JMM asked legislators to listen "to their inner voice" and vote for Soren to avoid President's rule or mid-term polls in the state.

The BJP with 18 MLAs and the Janata Dal-United with two legislators withdrew support to the Soren government after he backed the UPA government at the Centre and voted against cut motions sponsored by the Opposition in the Lok Sabha on April 27.

Soren, who continued to be Chief Minister while being a Lok Sabha member, later a struck a power-sharing deal according to which Arjun Munda would have led a BJP-led government for 28 months and the JMM would rule for the remaining period.

Soren, however, refused to resign as Chief Minister and the BJP on May 24 announced it was withdrawing support to his government.

The JMM has 18 MLAs in the 82-member House and needed the support of 42 members to save its government, reports PTI.

Soren, 66, resigned after he and his deputy Sudesh Mahto, leader of the All Jharkhand Students' Union, failed to woo back the BJP.

"We appealed to all parties and MLAs to rise above party lines and vote in favour of guruji (Soren) and avert President's rule or mid-term polls. But when we learnt that all the parties have resolved to vote against the government, we decided that guruji should put in his papers," said Mahto.

Hemant, who is the JMM legislative party leader, said the party is considering its options. "We tried our best and appealed to all parties. If guruji’s remaining as Chief Minister was a hurdle (in government formation), that has been removed now," he said.

With no party in the Assembly having enough MLAs to form a government, the state may come under President's rule and continue to suffer political uncertainty.