Hemant Soren meets Jharkhand Guv, stakes claim to form govt

Ranchi: JMM leader Hemant Soren on Sunday met Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar and staked claim to form the government, soon after leaders of the INDIA bloc in the state unanimously elected him as the legislature party leader.

He resigned as the chief minister before staking claim to form the government, party leaders said.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Gangwar, Soren said, "I have staked claim to form the government, and have handed over support letter of alliance partners to the governor. He invited us to form the government. The swearing in ceremony will be held on November 28." In a stunning comeback, Hemant Soren's JMM-led alliance on Saturday stormed to power in Jharkhand for a second consecutive term, winning 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, despite an all-out blitz by the BJP-led NDA which managed only 24 seats.

The majority mark in the state assembly is 41 seats.

Soren will be sworn in as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand, which was carved out of Bihar on November 15, 2000.