Hemant Soren Expands Cabinet: JMM Gets 6, Congress 4, RJD 1 Minister

Chief Minister Hemant Soren expanded his cabinet, inducting 11 MLAs from diverse communities, prioritising tribal representation, with the Governor administering the oath at Raj Bhavan.

Ranchi:Chief Minister Hemant Soren expanded his cabinet, inducting 11 MLAs from diverse categories, including four from the tribal community, three from the OBC category, two from the minority category, one from the SC category, and one from the general category. Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar administered the oath of office at the Ashok Udyan of the Raj Bhavan.

From the JMM quota, Deepak Birua, Chamra Linda, Ramdas Soren, Hafizul Hasan, Yogendra Prasad, and Sudivya Kumar Sonu took the oath. Congress appointees included Radhakrishna Kishore, Irfan Ansari, Deepika Pandey Singh, and Shilpi Neha Tirkey, while Sanjay Prasad Yadav represented the RJD. Earlier, Governor Gangwar administered the oath to JMM MLA Prof Stephen Marandi as Protem Speaker.

JMM prioritised tribal representation, appointing three tribal MLAs, alongside two OBCs and one from the minority category. Congress ensured balance with one SC, one tribal, one minority and one OBC/General representative. The RJD appointed Sanjay Prasad Yadav from the OBC category.

Legally, Deepika Pandey Singh belongs to the general (Brahmin) category, but her marriage to a Kurmi places her in the OBC category socially. Congress aimed to address both groups by appointing her.

New appointees included Yogendra Prasad, Sudivya Kumar Sonu, Radhakrishna Kishore, Shilpi Neha Tirkey, and Sanjay Prasad Yadav. Others like Deepak Birua, Ramdas Soren, Hafizul Hasan, Irfan Ansari, and Deepika Pandey Singh were re-included.

Speculation over ministerial appointments persisted until the last moment, with contenders like Mathura Mahato, Louis Marandi and Jayamangal Singh ultimately not making the cut.

The Raj Bhavan was under heavy police security, with Ranchi SSP Chandan Sinha supervising the arrangements. Traffic disruptions around the area were reported during the event.

The ceremony, delayed by 15 minutes, commenced with the national anthem and concluded with the swearing-in of a full cabinet of 12 members, marking a significant milestone in Hemant Soren's administration.