Speculations over Soren's future, JMM-led coalition to meet on Wednesday

Ranchi: Amid speculations of a possible anointment of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's wife, the ruling JMM-led coalition has convened a meeting of its legislators here on Wednesday.

The speculations were triggered by the Enforcement Directorate's recent summons to Chief Minister Hemant Soren coupled with the sudden resignation by JMM's Gandey legislator Sarfaraz Ahmad on Monday.

The opposition BJP has alleged that Ahmad was made to quit so that the chief minister's wife Kalpana Soren could contest the Gandey seat in case of ED's action against Soren.

"A meeting of the legislators of alliance partners has been convened at 4.30 pm at the chief minister's residence on January 3. Please ensure timely participation in the meeting," Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) general secretary Vinod Kumar Pandey wrote to ministers of the alliance parties and legislators on Tuesday.

JMM sources said the meeting has been convened to discuss the present political scenario in the backdrop of ED's summons to Soren as well as to chalk out a strategy.

Ahmad’s sudden resignation without citing any reason has sparked speculations that Soren might step down and anoint his wife Kalpana Soren as the chief minister and she may contest for the vacant seat.

The ED in its latest summons to Soren, who is also the executive president of JMM, has asked him to to inform the investigating officer about the date, venue, and time of his choice so that his statement could be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The probe pertains to a "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia" in Jharkhand, according to the ED.

Soren has skipped six earlier summonses by ED accusing the union government of using central agencies to destabilise the democratically elected state government. The seventh summons was issued in December last year.

He had filed petitions before the Supreme Court and Jharkhand High Court seeking protection from ED's actions, terming the summonses "unwarranted". Both courts dismissed his petitions.