J’khand CM Champai Soren to expand cabinet on Feb 16

Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam on Wednesday said Chief Minister Champai Soren will expand his cabinet on February 16, rescheduling the event which was initially planned for Thursday at Raj Bhavan.The swearing-in ceremony has been deferred.

Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam on Wednesday said Chief Minister Champai Soren will expand his cabinet on February 16, rescheduling the event which was initially planned for Thursday at Raj Bhavan.

''The swearing-in ceremony has been deferred. Now, it will take place at 3pm on February 16,'' Alam told PTI, citing the two-day second-leg of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the state starting February 14 as the reason for the change.

Gandhi’s yatra is scheduled to enter Jharkhand on February 14 from Chhattisgarh and continue to Bihar on February 15.

Champai Soren assumed office as chief minister on February 1, and the 67-year-old tribal leader was officially sworn in as the 12th chief minister of the state on February 2.

On the same day, two ministers — Alamgir Alam (Congress) and Satyanand Bhokta (RJD) — also took the oath.

Under constitutional provisions, Jharkhand can have a maximum of 12 ministers, including the chief minister. During the previous Hemant Soren government's term, one berth remained vacant.

Regarding the selection of probable candidates for the council of ministers, Alam said it has not been decided yet by the Congress.

''I can’t tell about the JMM whether it has selected their candidates,'' he said.

A JMM source said the party might repeat most of the ministers who were in Hemant Soren cabinet, with possibility of one or two changes.