'Operation Lotus' scare? Jharkhand coalition moves 31 MLAs out of state, CM Soren among 18 to stay back

Amid the ongoing political turmoil in Jharkhand following the Election Commission’s ostensible recommendation for chief minister Hemant Soren’s disqualification as an assembly member, the MLAs of the ruling coalition are likely to be moved to Raipur. 

As per reports, only 31 out of 49 MLAs in the coalition have moved out of Raipur. 11 ministers of the state cabinet, including CM Soren and eight MLAs, have stayed back in Jharkhand.

Speaking to reporters, Soren said: "No unforeseen incident is going to take place. We are ready for everything, the situation is under our control. I will let you know if I will also go with the MLAs".

#WATCH | Jharkhand: UPA MLAs arrive at Ranchi airport pic.twitter.com/PQw9hqE91Z

— ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2022

Soren has sought to send out a message that the ruling alliance of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) was intact since the uncertainty over his fate began on Saturday. 

This came after a meeting of UPA MLAs at Soren’s residence this afternoon which was held to chalk out a strategy in wake of the crisis amid Raj Bhavan’s silence over the EC’s ruling on the chief minister’s continuance as as MLA. 

Following a petition by the BJP seeking Soren's disqualification from the Assembly in an office of profit case, the Election Commission has sent its decision to state Governor Ramesh Bais on August 25.

Though the EC's decision is not yet made official, there was a buzz that the poll panel has recommended the chief minister's disqualification as an MLA. The Raj Bhavan did not announce anything on this matter since then.

The UPA legislators have requested the governor to clear the confusion saying they were ready to face any situation.

On August 28, UPA constituents - the JMM, Congress and the RJD - had in a joint statement accused the governor of encouraging political horse-trading by "deliberately delaying" announcing a decision on the CM's membership of the legislature.

Soren's JMM believes that the BJP may make a serious attempt to poach MLAs from it and from the Congress in a bid to topple the government in a manner ?similar to Maharashtra? and there is a need to ringfence the legislators in a "safe haven".

There were speculations on August 27 that the UPA legislators would go to an undisclosed destination in West Bengal or Chhattisgarh as the legislators entered the chief minister's residence for a meeting with luggage. Later on that day, they left Ranchi in three buses for Latratu, near the border with Chhattisgarh, only to return to the state capital by the evening.

The ruling coalition has 49 MLAs in the 81-member Assembly. A meeting of the Jharkhand cabinet has been scheduled on September 1 at 4 pm.