Ranchi, Dec 4 (IANS): The much-anticipated cabinet expansion of Jharkhand's Hemant Soren government is set to take place on Thursday with the swearing-in ceremony to be held at Ashok Udyan in Raj Bhavan at 12 noon, according to a statement from the Governor's house.
Protem Speaker Stephen Marandi will also take oath at the event.
While the list of MLAs being inducted as ministers remains undisclosed, sources indicate a coalition formula -- six ministers from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), four from the Congress, and one from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
From the RJD quota, Godda MLA Sanjay Yadav is expected to secure a ministerial berth. Earlier talks favoured Deoghar MLA Suresh Paswan, but he is now likely to be the leader of the RJD legislature party.
Among Congress MLAs, former Minister Rameshwar Oraon is poised to take on the legislature party leader's role, potentially paving the way for Kolebira MLA Naman Vixal Kongadi or Khijri MLA Rajesh Kachhap to join the cabinet.
Mahagama MLA Deepika Pandey Singh appears to lead the race among Congress’ five women MLAs, ensuring female representation.
Additional Congress contenders include Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari, Poraiyahat MLA Pradeep Yadav, Bermo MLA Jaimangal Singh, and Chhatarpur MLA Radhakrishna Kishore.
From the JMM, Chaibasa MLA Deepak Birua, Ghatsila MLA Ramdas Soren, Madhupur MLA Hafizul Hasan, Bhawanathpur MLA Anant Pratap Deo, Jama MLA Louis Marandi, and Tundi MLA Mathura Mahato are considered strong contenders. Ichagarh MLA Sabita Mahato and Rajmahal MLA M.T. Raja are also in contention.
Protem Speaker Marandi may be elevated to Speaker, potentially allowing former Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato to join the cabinet.
JMM General Secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya on Wednesday said that the cabinet will reflect a balance of experience and youth, with representation across all five divisions and diverse societal groups.
He expressed confidence that the new cabinet, under Hemant Soren’s leadership, will effectively fulfil the promises made during the elections and work cohesively for the next five years.
Leader of the JMM-Congress-RJD-CPI-ML alliance Hemant Soren took oath as Jharkhand’s Chief Minister for the fourth time on November 28. The alliance secured a resounding two-thirds majority, winning 56 out of 81 seats in the elections held on November 13 and November 20.