Amid the uncertainty surrounding the continuance of Hemant Soren as chief minister of Jharkhand, a JMM delegation is scheduled to meet Governor Ramesh Bais at 4 pm, a Raj Bhavan source said. "The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's request letter to meet the governor has been received. The delegation has been given time to meet at 4 pm," the source told PTI. JMM spokesperson Vinod Kumar Pandey later told reporters that a delegation of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition will meet Bais at the designated time. The alliance, comprising the JMM, Congress and RJD has 49 MLAs in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, and is supported from outside by a lone CPIML (L) legislator.
Away from the bustling crowds of Raipur city, the Mayfair Golf Resort where MLAs of the ruling UPA coalition in Jharkhand are sequestered has turned into a fortress with police personnel deployed everywhere. The JMM-Congress-RJD coalition in Jharkhand on Tuesday flew its 32 MLAs to Raipur to prevent the BJP's alleged attempts to poach its legislators. The MLAs, 15 from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and 17 from Congress, accompanied by senior Chhattisgarh Congress leaders Ramgopal Agrawal and Girish Dewangan, travelled in three buses to the luxurious resort located in Nava Raipur. While mediapersons are camping in the area in scorching heat in their quest for news and visuals, their entry is strictly barred inside. All 40-odd rooms at the resort have been booked for the guests from Jharkhand for the next two days, Congress sources said. A video of an SUV with 'Chhattisgarh government on duty' written on it and carrying liquor bottles allegedly towards the resort went viral during the
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday said the UPA coalition government in Jharkhand shifted its MLAs to Raipur to protect them from being poached in view of the BJP's "horse-trading" tactics. Thirty-two MLAs of the JMM-Congress-RJD coalition in Jharkhand flew to Raipur by a chartered flight on Tuesday and were taken to Mayfair Golf Resort in Nava Raipur. Baghel met the MLAs at the resort on Tuesday night. He was talking to reporters on Wednesday morning at Swami Vivekananda Airport here before leaving for Himachal Pradesh where he has been appointed as senior observer by the Congress for the coming assembly polls. "Alliance partners JMM and Congress in Jharkhand decided to bring their MLAs to Chhattisgarh to protect them considering the way the BJP has indulged in horse-trading," Baghel said. Recently three MLAs (of Congress in Jharkhand) were held in West Bengal (with cash). The Election Commission has sent some letters to Jharkhand Raj Bhavan and it has now .
Jharkhand police on Wednesday arrested suspended BJP leader Seema Patra, wife of a retired IAS officer, on allegations of torturing her 29-year-old tribal help Sunita, police sources said. Acting on a tip-off from a government employee, the Ranchi Police had rescued the woman from Patra's residence last week and recorded the domestic help' statement on Tuesday before a magistrate, sources said. Patra had allegedly kept the woman captive in her residence in Ranchi's posh Ashok Nagar area for several years. Patra was suspended by BJP after a video of the woman, Sunita, narrating her ordeal, went viral on social media with demands for Patra's arrest. Governor Ramesh Bais too on Tuesday asked DGP Neeraj Sinha as to why no action has been taken against suspended BJP leader. Members of various tribal outfits visited Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) where the woman is undergoing treatment and met her on Tuesday.
As many 32 MLAs of the ruling UPA coalition in Jharkhand on Tuesday flew down to Raipur by a chartered flight from Ranchi in a bid to 'ring fence' them from possible poaching attempts, and then bussed to a nearby resort amidst tight security. A few more MLAs from JMM are expected to follow over the next few days to join the 17 Congress MLAs and 15 JMM legislators to the 'safe haven' at Mayfair Resort, some 10 kms from the capital of Chhattisgarh, according to UPA sources. The United Progressive Alliance, comprising of the JMM, Congress and RJD in Jharkhand has 49 MLAs in the 81-member Assembly and is supported from outside by the lone CPIML (L) legislator. The flight carrying the MLAs took off from the Ranchi airport shortly after 4.30 pm and arrived in Raipur, the capital of the Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh, around 5:30 pm. A total of 41 persons, including 32 MLAs, landed at Swami Vivekananda Airport and three buses took them from the airport to the Mayfair resort in Nava Raipur, s
The ruling UPA coalition in Jharkhand is shifting its MLAs to neighbouring Chhattisgarh to prevent the BJP's alleged attempt to poach its legislators during the ongoing political crisis in the state, sources said on Tuesday. The MLAs are seen leaving Chief Minister Hemant Soren's residence in two buses towards the Ranchi airport where a flight has been booked for them to Raipur, sources said. Soren himself is seen on one of the buses. A Congress legislator, on condition of anonymity, said that they may be shifted to a resort in Raipur in Chhattisgarh, a state with a non-BJP government. Sources in the airport also said a flight for Raipur has been booked for the legislators. Soren's JMM believes that the BJP may make a serious attempt to poach MLAs from it and from the Congress in a bid to topple the government in a manner similar to Maharashtra and there is a need to ringfence the legislators in a safe haven. Following a petition by the BJP seeking Soren's disqualification from
The Jharkhand government on Monday handed over a compensation of Rs 9 lakh to the next of kin of a teenager, who was set on fire by a man in Jharkhand's Dumka district recently, an official said. The Class 12 student succumbed to her burn injuries at a government hospital here on Sunday. The National Commission for Women during the day sought an action taken report from the police within seven days. Chief Minister Hemant Soren directed the Dumka district administration to extend an immediate relief of Rs 10 lakh to the bereaved family. Dumka deputy commissioner (DC) Ravi Shankar Shukla told PTI, On the direction of the CM, the relief money has been provided to the family of the deceased. The family was given a cheque of Rs 9 lakh on Monday. An amount of Rs 1 lakh had already been provided to the family when the woman was being shifted from Dumka to Rajendra Institute of Medical Science, he said. Governor Ramesh Bais announced an immediate grant of Rs 2 lakh to the family of the v
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The political crisis in the state started after the Election Commission disqualified the Assembly membership of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in connection with the office of profit case.
Soren had called a meeting of the state's ruling UPA coalition members, the third in two days. Earlier in the day several MLAs were seen arriving for the meeting with luggage in tow.
Amid the ongoing political turbulence in Jharkhand over CM Soren's possible disqualification as an MLA, state's Cong working president Bandhu Tirkey slammed the BJP
Area sown to paddy declined by 5.99 per cent to 367.55 lakh hectare so far in the ongoing kharif season as a shortfall in rains has led to less coverage in some states, according to the agriculture ministry data released on Friday. Paddy was sown in 390.99 lakh hectare in the year-ago period, the data showed. It is the main kharif crop, sowing of which begins with the onset of the southwest monsoon from June and harvesting from October onwards. As per the data, less paddy area is reported from Jharkhand -- 10.51 lakh hectare (ha), West Bengal (4.62 lakh ha), Chhattisgarh (3.45 lakh ha), Uttar Pradesh (2.63 lakh ha), Bihar (2.40 lakh ha), and Odisha (2.24 lakh ha) till August 26 this kharif season. Area sown to paddy remains lower even in Assam (0.49 lakh ha), Madhya Pradesh (0.46 lakh ha), Haryana (0.44 lakh ha), Tripura (0.22 lakh ha), Nagaland (0.21 lakh ha), Meghalaya (0.18 lakh ha), Punjab (0.12 lakh ha), Maharashtra (0.07 lakh ha), Jammu & Kashmir (0.05 lakh ha), Goa (0.03 ...
Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais may take a call Friday on the Election Commission's view on disqualification of Chief Minister Hemant Soren as an MLA, amid the rapidly changing political scenario in the state, Raj Bhavan sources said. The EC is believed to have told the governor that Soren should be "disqualified" as a legislator for violating electoral norms, they said. However, the Raj Bhavan has officially not confirmed the development. The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), as part of the UPA alliance, exuded confidence that Soren will remain as the chief minister till 2024. The party also said it will move the Supreme Court if Soren is disqualified as an MLA. Bais had told reporters that he would be in a position to comment on the issue once he took stock of developments. "I was in AIIMS, Delhi for two days. I will be in a position to tell about any such decision when I reach Raj Bhavan," he had said after arriving here on Thursday. The Election Commission sent its opinion
Under Articles 102(1) and 191(1) of the Indian Constitution, an MP or MLA is barred from holding any office of profit under the central or state government
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Thursday asserted that Hemant Soren will remain the chief minister for full term till 2024, and demanded legal action against BJP leaders for disclosing a reported official decision despite no confirmation from either ECI or Raj Bhavan. The Election Commission of India (ECI) is believed to have told Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais that Soren should be disqualified as an MLA for violating electoral norms by extending a mining lease to himself, Raj Bhavan sources said. However, Raj Bhavan has officially not confirmed the development. Wondering why the ECI was silent over the violation of the Official Secrets Act, the JMM urged the commission to take suo moto cognisance against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and other saffron party leaders for allegedly disrespecting the Constitution. Exuding confidence that Soren will remain the chief minister till 2024, JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said Soren will complete his full term and fulfi
Students will be able to check their score card at the official JAC website - jac.jharkhand.gov.in.
The Election Commission has sent its opinion to Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais on a plea seeking that Chief Minister Hemant Soren be disqualified as an MLA for violating electoral law by extending a mining lease to himself, sources said on Thursday. The opinion was sent to the Jharkhand Raj Bhavan in a sealed cover this morning, they said. The Jharkhand governor had referred the matter to the poll panel. The BJP, the petitioner in the case, has sought Soren's disqualification for violating section 9 A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which deals with disqualification for government contracts. Under Article 192 of the Constitution, if any question arises as to whether a member of a House of the Legislature of a state has become subject to any of the disqualifications, the question shall be referred to the governor whose decision shall be final. "Before giving any decision on any such question, the Governor shall obtain the opinion of the Election Commission and shall a
The Jharkhand government has warned media houses of taking legal action for news reports linking Chief Minister Hemant Soren's name to a person against whom ED conducted raids in multiple locations and recovered two AK series rifles. The Enforcement Directorate raided various places in Jharkhand and several other states on Wednesday and recovered the rifles from a house here as part of an ongoing money-laundering investigation into alleged illegal mining in the state. However, the Ranchi police later said that the weapons belonged to the force and two constables were suspended in this connection. "Certain news reports by media platforms including a few national TV channels point to a misleading ploy and attempt to intentionally link the Chief Minister of Jharkhand to a private individual" against whom the ED raids were conducted, the CM's secretariat said in a statement on Wednesday. Describing this as unfortunate and condemnable, the statement said if the state government comes ..
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested a man identified as Prem Prakash in connection with its ongoing money-laundering probe into an illegal mining case in Jharkhand, officials said on Thursday. Prakash was taken into custody under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) around 2 am on Thursday and will be produced before a Ranchi court where the federal agency will seek his custody, they said. This is the third arrest in the case. Earlier, the ED had arrested Pankaj Mishra, a political aide of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and Mishra's associate and muscleman Bachhu Yadav. The agency had on Wednesday launched searches at premises linked to Prakash in Ranchi, apart from a few other places in Jharkhand, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Delhi-NCR, and recovered two AK-47 rifles and 60 bullets from a house linked to Prakash in the state capital here. The weapons belonged to two Jharkhand Police constables, who were suspended after the ED made the
The Jharkhand cabinet on Wednesday approved the creation of around 50,000 posts of assistant teachers for primary and middle schools in the state. The cabinet also gave its nod for creating 87 teaching posts in degree colleges, and 1,990 posts of medical officers and paramedical personnel at newly created 134 primary health centers. The decisions were taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren. "To strengthen the education sector in the state, the cabinet has approved the creation of 20,825 posts of intermediate-trained sahayak acharyas (assistant teachers) for primary schools and 29,175 posts of graduate-trained sahayak acharyas for middle schools," Cabinet secretary Vandana Dadel told reporters after the meeting. Dadel said approval was given to rope in IIT Madras on a nomination basis as the technical partner of the state Transport Department for studying and drafting the standard operating procedures to reduce road accidents in the state. Dadel said