The Election Commission had on Thursday written to Governor of Jharkhand Ramesh Bais in this regard. Sources from the Raj Bhawan had said that the Governor may disqualify the Chief Minister as MLA.
Ranchi: A day after row over disqualification of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren as Chief Minister, Election Commission of India (ECI) recommended to disqualify him as an MLA. The ECI has found Soren guilty in the illegal mining case. He attracts disqualification for awarding a government contract to himself. Senior Jharkhand BJP leaders have said that very reliable sources” have informed that the EC has declared Mr Soren not fit for the post of an MLA.
Under such circumstances, the Governor will notify the disqualification order on a gazette and Soren will have to resign. His cabinet will also be dissolved as ministers will resign. He can get re-elected in a by-election held by the Election Commission within six months.
According to the report, the Election Commission had on Thursday written to Governor of Jharkhand Ramesh Bais in this regard. Sources from the Raj Bhawan had said that the Governor may disqualify the Chief Minister as MLA. The poll body has sent its recommendation to Raj Bhawan in a sealed cover hence exact details are still to come out. The opposition party, in its complaint, had said that the CM has a stone chips mining lease in his name which comes in the ambit of office-of-profit.
Reacting over the controversy, Hemant Soren had said that the ‘sealed report’ has been drafted by the BJP men. Soren had said that he had not received any communication from the Raj Bhawan since he had been watching several media reports regarding recommendations made by the ECI to the Jharkhand Governor. The BJP, however, had claimed that their plea to disqualify Soren as legislature has succeeded. The opposition party had also demanded mid-term polls in the state claiming that the government has lost morality to remain in power.
Reacting sharply over the BJP’s claim of his disqualification, CM Hemant Soren had said that it seems that BJP men including a Member of Parliament and his puppet journalists have themselves drafted the ECI’s draft report. He had said that the report is otherwise a sealed cover report.
As per the report, Hemant Soren violated the office of profit in ECI’s finding. He has reportedly violated the 1951 People Representative Act which may cause his disqualification from MLA. During the hearing, the Commission has reportedly heard Hemant Soren, his brother Basant Soren. The hearing was concluded on August 18 and now it is being said that his disqualification has been recommended. Meanwhile, the Governor of the state has to take a final call over the issue. Article 192 of the Constitution says that if a member of a House of the Legislature of a state has become subject to any of the disqualifications, the final decision will be taken by the Governor.
