I.N.D.I.A. bloc meeting begins in Jharkhand amid change of guard speculations

Ranchi: A crucial meeting of I.N.D.I.A. bloc legislators began on Wednesday, amid speculations of a change of guard in the state, MLAs of the alliance said.

The meeting has been convened by former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, who is also the executive president of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

Soren was released from jail on June 28 after nearly five months, as the high court granted him bail in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

"A change of guard in the state is possible... This meeting is crucial. All the legislators of the ruling alliance assembled here at 11 am," a party source told PTI.

The speculations were fuelled by the sudden cancellation of all important programmes of Chief Minister Champai Soren, including distribution of appointment letters to 1,500 selected teachers on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, too, all public programmes of Champai Soren, who had taken oath as the 12th CM of Jharkhand on February 2 after Hemant Soren's arrest, stood cancelled.

"We were asked by our party to attend a meeting of INDIA bloc legislators on Wednesday in view of the Jharkhand assembly elections," a Congress MLA, who did not wish to be named, told PTI.

The legislator said the meeting is significant as the alliance needs to chalk out its strategy for the polls due to be held later this year.

Congress's Jharkhand in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir and its state president Rajesh Thakur are also attending the meeting here.

JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey said the agenda of the meeting is "political developments" in the state.

Apart from the CM, Hemant Soren's brother and minister Basant Soren, and wife Kalpana Soren, are attending the meeting as well.

Kalpana was recently elected as an MLA from Gandey, winning the bypoll after the seat fell vacant following the resignation of JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad.

In his first public rally after release from jail, Hemant Soren had claimed that the BJP is planning to advance assembly elections in Jharkhand.

He also declared a “rebellion” against “feudal forces”, asserting that the opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc would drive out the BJP from across the country.