Soren asked to prove majority by May 31

BJP today withdrew its support to the nearly five-month-old JMM-led government in Jharkhand reducing it to a minority, following which Chief Minister Shibu Soren was asked by the Governor to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly by May 31.

Soren was summoned by Governor M O H Farooq this evening after BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Raghuvar Das handed over a letter withdrawing his party's support to the government, Raj Bhavan said. He has been given a week's time to prove his strength in the House.

With 14 MLAs, Congress saw a possible role in the formation of a stable government. "We are watching the developments. We are putting our minds together to save Jharkhand from collapse," Congress in-charge for the state K Keshav Rao told reporters in New Delhi.

In Ranchi, Congress spokesman Radhakrishna Kishore said, "If secular parties, including the JMM, send any proposal for formation of a secular dispensation, the party will look into it and place it before the Central leadership."

In the 82-member assembly, the Soren government now has support of 25 MLAs, including 18 of its own, 5 of the AJSU and 2 others. The BJP has 18 members. The JD(U), which has 2 MLAs, also decided to follow suit and withdraw support to the government.

JMM legislative party leader and Soren's son Hemant said the Governor had acceded to the chief minister's request to give him seven-days time to prove his majority in the assembly.

Soren took oath as chief minister on December 30 last year with the support of the BJP, AJSU and others.