With the BJP and JMM having already agreed to share power on a rotational basis and a BJP-led government to take over in a week, Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren
on Thursday declined to give a specific date for his resignation.
"That could be BJP s date, but not mine. When I have to resign, I will resign," Soren told newsmen in Bokaro when asked whether he would quit on May 25, a date given by
the leaders of the saffron party and the AJSU on May 18.
On May 18, when the agreement had been reached between the two parties for sharing power on a rotational basis, Soren had not given a specific date for stepping down.
Asked whether he was still hopeful of contesting a bypoll to enter the assembly, which he must do constitutionally by June 30 as he is an MP, the Chief Minister replied
enigmatically, "Let me see."
BJP had announced its decision to withdraw support to the Shibu Soren government on April 28 after the JMM chief voted against the BJP-sponsored cut-motions in the Lok
Sabha. However, after Soren's son Hemant made an offer to BJP to head the government in the state, the BJP revoked its decision, but a tussle ensued on the power-
sharing formula.
On May 8, the BJP announced that it would head a new coalition for the remainder of the tenure with support from alliance partners JMM and AJSU. The same evening
Soren said the new government would be on a rotational basis, causing a stalemate.
Both the JMM and the BJP have 18 seats each in the 82-member House. Other members of the coalition are Janata Dal-United (JD-U) with two seats, All Jharkhand
Students Union (AJSU) which has five seats and others two.
Meanwhile, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantric) of Babulal Marandi demanded that the Governor speak to Soren.
"Soren does not want to hand over power to the BJP. We urge the governor to speak to Soren as he has not yet personally announced his resignation," JVM-P General
Secretary Praveen Singh told a press conference along with JPCC spokesman Radhakrishna Kishore in Ranchi.
They also accused Arjun Munda, the BJP's chief ministerial candidate of being the kinpin of continued political instability in the state since 2003.
The Marandi-led NDA government had fallen on the floor of the house following rebellion by coalition partners, that gave Munda the chief minister s post for the first time. PTI
