Ranchi: The Champai Soren-led Jharkhand government won the vote of confidence on Monday, garnering support of 47 out of the 77 legislators present in the 81-member legislative assembly even as the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received 29 votes while an independent candidate abstained from voting.

Champai Soren took oath as the Jharkhand chief minister on February 2, two days after his predecessor Hemant Soren resigned and was subsequently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case related to an alleged land deal. Hemant Soren (47), the executive president of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was allowed by the state’s high court to take part in the trust vote on Monday.

“The confidence motion has been passed with 47 members supporting it while 29 members being in opposition,” assembly speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto announced.

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Of the 47 legislators who voted in support of the confidence motion, 27 were from the JMM, 17 from the Congress, one each from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, besides the lone nominated member from the Anglo-Indian community in the House. Of the 29 opposing votes, 25 were from the BJP, three from AJSU Party — both part of the NDA — as well as the lone Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) member. Independent MLA Saryu Roy abstained from voting.

Starting the discussion on confidence motion in the House, chief minister Champai Soren alleged that his party colleague and former CM Hemant Soren was arrested in a “fabricated case” in order to destabilise the JMM-led government. The CM described his government as “Part 2” of the Hemant Soren administration.

Accusing the BJP-led Union government of misusing central agencies, Champai said: “Those ruling the central government misused agencies. In 2019, Hemant got the mandate. He did exemplary work in the past four years, including the two years of Covid period. Such a chief minister is arrested in a land scam case, when there is no document to prove that the land is in his name.”

After winning the trust vote, he added: “We will work at full pace on the schemes started by Hemant Soren.”

Opposing the motion, leader of opposition Amar Kumar Bauri cautioned the JMM against its ally Congress.

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“Today they are talking about conspiracy theories. But go back in history and remember that Congress has always crushed its allies. Who was ruling the country when Shibu Soren was sent to jail? Who was supporting the government when Madhu Kora went to jail? They [Congress] ensured Hemant Soren went to jail. You better be beware of them,” Bauri alleged.

The BJP leader further said that though Champai and Hemant Soren are tribal leaders, but they are not necessarily the leaders of the tribals. “It was the BJP government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee that created Jharkhand (the state was carved out of Bihar in 2000). It is our government that recognised Birsa Munda birth anniversary as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas. It is our government that has appointed a tribal daughter (President Droupadi Murmu) to the top-most constitutional post in the country,” he added.

Congress legislature party leader Alamgir Alam said it was his party that brought the country its independence, besides building the nation in the past seven decades.