Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren will face a trust vote in the state assembly on Monday days after he was sworn in on Friday after his predecessor Hemant Soren was arrested over money laundering charges two days earlier.

Thirty-five legislators of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance returned to Ranchi on Sunday ahead of the vote. They were sent to Hyderabad in Congress-ruled Telangana to prevent any possible poaching attempts from the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The legislators were lodged at Ranchi’s Circuit House.

State minister Alamgir Alam on Sunday maintained their lawmakers were united and had the support of 48 to 50 of them.

A special court in Ranchi on Saturday also allowed Hemant Soren to attend the floor test. People aware of the matter said the assembly security was likely to take control once Hemant Soren reached the House.

The JMM-led coalition, which includes the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist), has 48 seats in the 81-member assembly. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has 32. One seat is vacant.

JMM leader Supriyo Bhattacharya said besides the speaker, they have the support of 47 legislators, six more than the magic number. He added that 43 of them have signed the letter of support. “…of the four JMM legislators who have not signed the letter due to various reasons, Sita Soren and Lobin Hembrom have extended their support. One legislator, Ramdas Soren, is undergoing treatment in Delhi and is unlikely to return home for six months. The fourth JMM legislator, Chamra Linda, would also vote for us,” he said.

Hembron, who rebelled against the Hemant Soren government over issues such as imposition of prohibition, on Sunday announced his support for Champai Soren after he met JMM founder Shibu Soren and legislator Basant Soren.