Jharkhand’s Champai Soren expands his cabinet, eight MLAs sworn in as Ministers

Basant Soren, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha supremo Shibu Soren’s youngest son, took oath as Minister in the Champai Soren-led government in Jharkhand, along with seven others

Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren expanded his cabinet on February 16. Jharkhand Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan administered the oath at Raj Bhavan. A total of eight MLAs were sworn in as Cabinet Minister out of which five are from Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and three from Congress. 

Rameshwar Uranv, Banna Gupta and Badal Patralekh of Congress, Mithilesh Thakur, Deepak Barua, Basant Soren, Hafizul Hasan and Bebi Devi of JMM took the oath.

First time Minister Basant Soren is the son of JMM president Shibu Soren and younger brother of former CM Hemant Soren who is currently in jail in connection with money laundering case. Earlier on February 2, Alamgir Alam of Congress and Satyanand Bhokta of RJD had taken the oath along with CM Champai Soren.

No changes were made in the Congress and all three retained their Ministerial berth whereas JMM made two changes. In the place of Hemant Soren, his younger brother and MLA from Dumka assembly seat Basant Soren was given the Ministerial post whereas in place of Joba Manjhi, who represents Manoharpur Assembly constituency, Deepak Barua was given the chance to become the Minister.

Mr. Basant Soren became the member of Jharkhand Assembly after winning the Dumka by-election held in 2020. He had defeated BJP candidate and former Minister Lewis Marandi. Dumka seat had become vacant due to the resignation of Hemant Soren. In the 2021 assembly elections, Hemant Soren had contested from both Dumka and Barhet assembly seats and won from both seats. Later he vacant the Dumka seat which necessitated by-elections.

Mr. Basant Soren is the sixth member of the Soren family to enter politics. He had contested the Rajya Sabha elections in 2016, but had to face defeat. After the 2016 Rajya Sabha elections, Basant Soren continued working at the organizational level.

Before the cabinet expansion there was some discontentment among the Congress MLAs on the issue of repeating the same leaders as Ministers. However, Jharkhand Congress Chief Rajesh Thakur and Jharkhand Congress in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir settled the issue.