In the recently-concluded Jharkhand polls, Hemant Soren's JMM-led coalition secured a total of 56 seats in the 81-member Assembly. (Pic: https://x.com/HemantSorenJMM)

Hemant Soren's fourth stint as Jharkhand Chief Minister, to take oath today

In the recently-concluded Jharkhand Assembly polls, Hemant Soren retained his Barhait seat by defeating BJP candidate Gamliyel Hembrom by more than 39,790 votes. His JMM-led coalition secured a total of 56 seats in the 81-member Assembly.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Hemant Soren to be sworn in at 4 pm in Ranchi's Morabadi Ground
  • Top INDIA bloc leaders, dignitaries will attend ceremony
  • JMM secures highest-ever tally in Assembly polls, wins 34 seats

Hemant Soren will take oath as the 14th Chief Minister of Jharkhand today after his Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led coalition won the recently-concluded state elections by securing 56 out of the total 81 Assembly seats. This will be the 49-year-old's fourth stint as the Chief Minister of the state.

The swearing in ceremony will take place at 4 pm at the Morabadi Ground in Ranchi. The oath of office will be administered by Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar, with several top leaders of the INDIA bloc and other dignitaries expected to attend the ceremony.

In a post on X, Soren called his swearing in a "historic day that will further strengthen our collective struggle, the spirit of love and brotherhood and the commitment towards justice".

"Today is not about political victory, today is the day to reiterate our struggle for social justice, the daily battle to strengthen social unity. Today also tells us that the great people of Jharkhand are standing together amidst the increasing pressure on democracy. Today, a voice is resonating in every village, every city -- rights, equality, unity means the voice of 'Jharkhandiyat'," he added.

He also reiterated that "unity is our biggest weapon. We can neither be divided nor silenced".

This is the first time in Jharkhand's history that an incumbent government, having completed five years in office, has returned to power.

Soren retained his Barhait seat by defeating his BJP rival Gamliyal Hembrom by a margin of more than 39,790 votes. In these elections, the JMM achieved its highest-ever tally, winning 34 of the 43 seats it contested.

As part of the coalition, the Congress won 16 seats, RJD four and CPI(ML) two. Meanwhile, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance only managed to secure 24 seats.

In view of the swearing in ceremony, schools in the state capital will remain shut on Thursday.

A circular issued by the district education officer on Wednesday said, "More than one lakh visitors are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony from the entire state. All the visitors will come in their personal vehicles or buses, due to which there is a possibility of traffic jams in the city."

"In such a situation, students coming by school bus may get stuck in traffic jams for hours, which would not seem appropriate in the interest of students."

Security has been heightened across Ranchi, with special arrangements in place near the event venue.

As per a JMM leader, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, MP Rahul Gandhi, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu are likely to attend the swearing in ceremony.

Addressing reporters on Wednesday night, Congress general secretary and the party's Jharkhand in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir said Hemant Soren will take oath alone today, while other ministers will be sworn in after the Cabinet is finalised.

On the eve of his oath taking, Soren appealed to the masses to attend the ceremony and also shared a YouTube link where the event would be livestreamed.

On Tuesday, the Chief Minister-elect, accompanied by his wife Kalpana Soren, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, marking his visit to the national capital after leading his alliance to an unprecedented second consecutive term.

The meeting came three days after Hemant Soren met Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar to stake his claim to form the government, shortly after being unanimously elected as the legislature party leader by the INDIA bloc.

(With PTI inputs)