New Jharkhand govt to be sworn in on Monday

Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibte Razi on Friday invited Independent legislator, Madhu Koda, who staked claim to form the government after the fall of the Arjun Munda-led National Democratic Alliance ministry, to form the new government on Monday.

The Governor directed the new government to prove its majority on or by September 25. The new government would be sworn in at the Morabadi Maidan on September 18 at 3:00 pm. Koda, who on Thursday emerged as the United Progressive Alliance consensus candidate for the post of chief minister, told newsmen that he presented the Governor with a list of 42 legislators in his support in the 82-member house, including Forward Bloc's Aparna Sen.

On Thursday Koda had submitted a list of 41 MLAs and claimed the support of Sen and CPI-ML (Liberation) legislator Vinod Kumar Singh. Koda said, "The CPI-ML will give us support on certain conditions and principles."

Koda, who was the parliamentary affairs minister in the Munda government and had quit along with three others Enos Ekka, Kamlesh Singh and Harinarain Rai on September 5, said the conditionality of the CPI-ML (Liberation) would be decided at a meeting of the UPA.

"The Governor expressed satisfaction after I submitted the list of 42 supporting MLAs," he said. He said the deputy chief minister and the number of ministers to be sworn in would be also decided at the UPA meeting. He, however, did not say when the meeting would be held.