Ranchi/Mumbai: JMM chief Shibu Soren, set to
take oath as Chief Minister of Jharkhand on December 30, today
said his five-party coalition would provide a corruption-free
and stable government which will work for the poor.
"Our efforts will be to provide a clean and stable
government. Jharkhand is a mineral-rich state but the people
remain poor. Our efforts will be to uplift the poor," Soren
told reporters after meeting BJP President Nitin Gadkari in
Mumbai.
A common minimum programme would be formulated by all the
coalition partners, he added.
Soren was yesterday invited by Governor K
Sanakaranarayanan to form government as he had claimed support
of 44 MLAs in the 81-member assembly and asked to take a floor
test by January 8.
Besides 18 MLAs from his party, Soren has the support of
BJP (18), JDU (2), AJSU (5) and Jharkhand Janadhikar Manch
(1).
Soren was the Chief Minister till President's rule was
imposed in the state in January this year.
Soren, who had led UPA government twice in Jharkhand,
said he was looking forward to work with Gadkari .
"I know Gadkari's background and it is our desire to work
with him. We are confident that the BJP will not betray us,"
he said and invited Gadkari to attend the swearing-in
ceremony.
Soren is the only leader in Jharkhand to lead two
separate dispensations.
Sixteen months ago, he took oath as Chief Minister as the
head of a UPA government, supported by Congress, RJD and
Independents.
Soren, who will begin his third term as Chief Minister,
has also become the first person to head back-to-back
governments of separate coalitions.
Though he has not revealed formation of his cabinet,
which should have maximum of 12 ministers including him as
required by the Constitution, sources in the coalition said
in Ranchi that JMM could bag three berths, besides Soren.
Senior JMM leaders Hemlal Murmu and Hussain Ansari are
among the front runners.
BJP might also get four ministerial berths, including
deputy chief ministership. The name of Raghuvar Das for the
post was being seriously considered, the sources said.
Besides Das, the other names doing rounds in the BJP
circle were Baijnath Ram, Arun Mandal and Nilkanth Singh
Munda.
The BJP is also set to bag the post of Speaker with the
name of four-time MLA C P Singh doing the rounds.
AJSU's Chandra Prakash Choudhary, Kamal Kishore Bhagat
and Sudesh Mahto might get ministerial berths, AJSU sources
said.
To accommodate a woman candidate, Soren might pick JDU's
Sudha Choudhary, the sources said, adding one or two names
could be changed to accommodate a candidate from the forward
caste.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, December 29, 2009, 00:12