Ranchi, Dec 3 The Hemant Soren-led government in Jharkhand is set to expand on December 5 with the Raj Bhavan formally being requested to schedule the swearing-in ceremony for new ministers at noon on that day, sources said.
Though an official notification is awaited, a total of 11 ministers are expected to take the oath - six from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), four from Congress, and one from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Reports suggest that the cabinet expansion will introduce six to seven new faces.
Among the likely ministers from the JMM are Deepak Birua (Chaibasa MLA), Ramdas Soren (Ghatsila MLA), Hafizul Hasan (Madhupur MLA), Anant Pratap Deo (Bhawanathpur MLA), Louis Marandi (Jama MLA), and Mathura Prasad Mahato (Tundi MLA).
However, the names of Sabita Mahato (Ichagarh MLA) and MT Raja (Rajmahal MLA) are also being considered.
Probable Congress Ministers include Rameshwar Oraon (Lohardaga MLA), Irfan Ansari (Jamtara MLA), Deepika Pandey Singh (Mahagama MLA), Pradeep Yadav (Poraiyahat MLA), and Naman Vikas Kongadi (Kolebira MLA).
Others in contention include Mamta Devi (Ramgarh MLA), Jaimangal Singh (Bermo MLA), and Ramchandra Singh (Manika MLA).
Deoghar MLA Suresh Paswan is seen as the frontrunner for the RJD's lone ministerial slot. However, Sanjay Singh Yadav (Godda MLA) and Sanjay Prasad Yadav (Hussainabad MLA) are also lobbying for the position.
Hemant Soren was sworn in as Chief Minister on November 28. In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, his four-party alliance holds 56 seats – the JMM 34, the Congress 16, the RJD four, and the CPI-ML two.
Notably, the CPI-ML has opted to keep out of the cabinet.
Political analysts say the delay was due to the complexities of power-sharing among two major alliance partners – the Congress and the RJD. The state can have a maximum of 12 ministers including the Chief Minister.
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