President's rule imposed in Jharkhand

NEW DELHI: President’s rule was imposed in Jharkhand after Shibu Soren resigned as chief minister as none of the three major political parties failed to form an alternate government.

The union cabinet approved the imposition of President’s rule on Tuesday morning.

Governor M.O.H. Farook had on Monday summoned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress and the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) to see if they could form a government after Soren stepped down on Sunday. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief minister had asked for time till May 31 to prove majority after his government lost the BJP support.

The three parties told Governor Farook they did not have the numbers to form an alternative government.

Farook sent a report on the political situation to the central home ministry on Monday night.

According to sources, Farook has in his report pointed out that no party has shown interest in forming a government and suggested to the central govenment to put the state under a short spell of president's rule.

Soren submitted his resignation on Sunday evening, a day before he was to prove his majority in the 81-member state assembly. Sources said that eight of the JMM's 18 legislators refused to face the trust vote Monday.

The JMM-led five-month-old government was propped up by the BJP with 18 members, the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) with five legislators and the Janata Dal-United's two members.

The Congress has 14 members, the JVM-P 11, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal five legislators. There also are five Independents.

The JMM-led government was reduced to minority after the BJP withdrew support May 24.

After its talks with the BJP collapsed on the issue of sharing power by rotation of 28 months each, the JMM was in talks with the Congress and JVM-P to form an alternative government and avoid a spell of central rule.

But with the Congress and the JVM-P failing to commit support, Soren had no other option but resign.

Jharkhand was plunged into political uncertainty since Soren voted against the BJP's cut motions in parliament last month.