Ranchi: The floor test was necessitated after Hemant Soren, the former chief minister, was disqualified as an MLA by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in an office-of-profit case. Soren’s disqualification had reduced the majority of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in the 81-member assembly to one.
However, the UPA managed to win the floor test with the support of all its 47 MLAs, including Soren’s father Shibu Soren, who is the president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). The BJP and its allies, which have 29 MLAs in the assembly, voted against the motion of confidence.
After the floor test, Hemant Soren said that he was grateful to the MLAs who supported the government and that he would continue to work for the development of the state.
BJP slams UPA for ‘misuse of power’
The BJP, however, slammed the UPA for “misusing its power” to win the floor test. The party’s state unit president, Deepak Prakash, said that the UPA had “pressured” the MLAs to vote in its favor.
“The UPA has misused its power to win the floor test. The MLAs were pressured to vote in favor of the government. This is a mockery of democracy,” Prakash said.
The floor test in Jharkhand has come at a time when the state is facing a political crisis. The BJP has been demanding the imposition of President’s rule in the state, alleging that the UPA government has lost the confidence of the majority.
It remains to be seen whether the BJP will continue to press for President’s rule in Jharkhand after the UPA’s victory in the floor test.