Soren faces crucial trial of strength

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March 11, 2005 09:33 IST

The nine-day old Shibu Soren government in Jharkhand will face the crucial trial of strength in the assembly on Friday.

Both the United Progressive Alliance and the National Democratic Alliance have claimed majority in the 81-member House.

The trust vote was to be held on March 15, but the Supreme Court, on a petition filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arjun Munda, ordered that the exercise be advanced by four days.

The NDA, which has 36 members of Legislative Assembly, has claimed the support of 5 Independents, thus taking its strength to 41.

However, Soren has claimed the support of 42 MLAs. He alleged that the NDA had 'illegally' confined two Independent MLAs, Enos Ekka and Chandra Prakash Choudhary, who were supporting him.

On Thursday, the 41 MLAs in the NDA camp took the oath as members of the assembly. However, only 36 from the UPA camp took the oath. Three MLAs -- Aparna Sengupta and Bhanu Pratap Sahi 'Dehati' (both Forward Bloc) and Nationalist Congress Party member and minister in the Soren government Kamlesh Kumar Singh – whose support the UPA has claimed, remained absent.

After the swearing in was over, Pro-tem Speaker Pradip Kumar Balamuchu served a notice to Ekka, asking him to show cause as to why he should not be disqualified as a member of the House since he was supporting the NDA against his Jharkhand Party's directive.

Soren later told newspersons that the Forward Bloc leadership had assured him the support of its two MLAs. The NCP has also said Kamlesh Singh would back the UPA.

Meanwhile, NDA Jharkhand legislature party leader and former chief minister Arjun Munda on Thursday night said he was 'confident of wining with the support of all the 41 members in the alliance'.

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