Hemant Soren sworn in as Jharkhand Chief Minister for fourth term 

Pic/PTI

JMM leader Hemant Soren was sworn in as the 14th Chief Minister of Jharkhand in a grand ceremony on Thursday, marking the beginning of his fourth term, news agency PTI reported. The event was attended by senior leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who heads the Trinamool Congress.

Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 49-year-old tribal leader, who reaffirmed his commitment to working for the welfare of all sections of the state, particularly the poor, deprived, and exploited.

"This Jharkhand government will work day and night for all sections of the people, including the poor, deprived, and exploited... Abua (our) government," Soren stated shortly after taking the oath. He later dedicated the moment to the struggles of Jharkhand's "immortal brave martyrs" and "great revolutionaries" in a post on X. "Today's emotional moment is dedicated to crores of people of Jharkhand," he wrote.

Before taking the oath, Soren and his wife Kalpana along with their two sons sought blessings from his father and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) supremo Shibu and his mother Rupi. After the ceremony, he paid floral tributes to tribal icons such as Birsa Munda and Sido-Kanho. He then proceeded to the Project Building to begin his fourth tenure as Chief Minister, PTI reported.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Soren on X and wrote, "Congratulations to Shri Hemant Soren on taking oath as Jharkhand CM. Best wishes to him for his tenure ahead."

The other INDIA bloc leaders who attended the ceremony including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Rashtriya Janata Dal's (RJD) Tejashwi Yadav.

Women to get monthly aid of Rs 2,500

After taking office, Soren announced an increase in financial assistance to women in the 18-50 age group under the Maiyan Samman Yojna. The monthly financial aid will now be Rs 2,500, up from Rs 1,000, according to a key promise made during the election campaign.

Soren's alliance won 56 seats in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured only 24 seats. Soren himself retained his Barhait seat with a margin of 39,791 votes, marking the JMM's highest-ever tally in the state legislature.

Soren took to X before the ceremony to emphasise the importance of unity among the people of Jharkhand, stating that their strength lies in their collective resolve. "Our unity is our biggest weapon. We can neither be divided nor silenced. Whenever they push us back, we move forward. Whenever they try to silence us, our voice of rebellion and revolution grows louder," he wrote.

Soren's victory has significant political implications for the state. The JMM-led coalition had faced a fierce electoral battle, especially with issues concerning the state's tribal community. Soren's comments were seen as a veiled reference to the BJP-led Central Government. He reiterated his firm stance, saying, "Our fight is firm and unceasing. The struggle continues and will continue till the last breath."

In terms of governance, Soren's cabinet held a meeting where eight key decisions were made, though no new ministers were sworn in. Among the decisions was the formation of a panel to study the plight of the "marginalised" tea tribes in Assam, which had been a contentious issue raised by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during the election campaign.

Additionally, the Jharkhand government has decided to initiate legal action to recover Rs 1.36 lakh crore from the Centre in lieu of coal dues, PTI reported. Soren had previously appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to clear these dues, which he claimed were obstructing the state's development.

Soren's first official meeting after his re-election was with Prime Minister Modi in Delhi, where the two discussed important state matters. The newly formed cabinet will convene for an assembly session from December 9-12, with JMM legislator Stephen Marandi acting as the pro-tem speaker until a regular Speaker is elected.

As Soren embarks on his fourth term, the formation of his new cabinet is still pending. Congress is expected to receive four ministerial berths, while RJD will likely get one, along with a possible representation for Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation.

(With PTI inputs)