Hemant Soren back as Jharkhand CM for 4th time

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Hemant Soren took oath as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand in a grand ceremony in Ranchi on Thursday, amid the presence of a galaxy of INDIA bloc leaders.

IMAGE: JMM executive president Hemant Soren takes oath as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand, in Ranchi, November 28, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

The 49-year-old tribal leader was sworn in as the chief minister by Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar.

The governor administered the oath of office and secrecy to Soren at a function held in Morabadi ground in Ranchi, where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal were present.

Prior to taking the oath, Soren, donning a kurta and pyjama, met JMM president and his father Shibu Soren.

This is the fourth stint of the JMM leader as the chief minister.

Hemant Soren retained the Barhait seat by defeating Bharatiya Janata Party's Gamliyel Hembrom by a margin of 39,791 votes in the recent assembly polls.

The JMM-led alliance stormed to victory, securing 56 seats in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly, while the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance managed 24 constituencies.