Jharkhand president's rule follows six major political crises

The president's rule that was imposed in Jharkhand on Monday, follows six major political crises in the nine years since the state came into being on November 15, 2000 with Babulal Marandi of the NDA heading the first government.

Besides Marandi, the UPA's Shibu Soren ruled the state twice in 2005 and 2008, again UPA's Madhu Koda once in 2006 and NDA's Arjun Munda twice in 2003 and 2005.

The Centre's decision came after JMM president Shibu Soren did not budge from his choice of Champai Soren to succeed him despite pleas and pressures by UPA allies.

Soren was apparently peeved at the 'poor response' he received during his two-day stay in Delhi to talk to the UPA leadership on the state's political crisis which emerged after his failure to enter the House within the stipulated six-month period.

He complained heaviness in chest and high blood pressure and is still recuperating in a hospital, which kept his allies out of bounds since January 13.

"I liked Soren putting his foot down on the UPA's rejection of his chief ministerial candidate. Now Soren should keep distance from the Congress and the BJP... I demand dissolution of the House and fresh elections," said Suraj Mandal, one time confidante of Shibu Soren.

The first major political crisis that hit the state was in November, 2002 when half-a-dozen ministers rebelled against the Babulal Marandi government which ultimately led to his government's fall in March, 2003, giving rise to another BJP leader Arjun Munda.

The 2005 Assembly elections plunged the state into turmoil when the electorate gave a fractured mandate, leading to the formation of two governments within nine days - Soren resigning on March 11, 2005 because of his failure to muster the required number to continue in power and on the same day Munda being invited by the Governor to form government.

Munda's government lasted till September, 2006 when one of his ministers and Independent MLA Madhu Koda became a rallying point of a few other Independent MLAs to dislodge the NDA government and pave way for a UPA alliance with Koda at its head.

The Koda government lasted just 23 months when Soren, a Lok Sabha member, forced him to step down in August, 2008, and took over the mantle.

The tale of political uncertainty in the state continued when the UPA decided to field Soren from the Tamar assembly seat that led to the axing of Jharkhand Party (Ekka) president Enos Ekka from his cabinet for defying UPA orders to withdraw his party candidate Gopal Krishna Patar whose subsequent win over Soren ended in the imposition of president's rule.

Reacting to the president's rule, senior JMM leader and former minister Nalin Soren said keeping the assembly in suspended animation would help explore formation of a government.

"Being the single largest party in the UPA fold, we will explore ways to form an alternative government," added the JMM leader.

Looking back to the 'number games' that hit the state a number of times, the BJP's  state unit president Pashupatinath Singh called for dissolution of the House instead of keeping it in suspended animation.

"The people of Jharkhand are fed up with any more experiments in the state. They want a fresh mandate which was evident from Shibu Soren's defeat at the Tamar by-poll," Singh said.

Echoing the same views, the Janata Dal(U)'s state unit president, Jaleswar Mahto, said the president's rule should not be prolonged and fresh elections should be called at the earliest in the interest of the state.

The PCC spokesman, Alok Dubey, welcomed the end of the political uncertainty, while the former deputy chief minister and Independent MLA Stephen Marandi said the state "looked forward to a fresh mandate."