Team Hemant 4.0 Takes Shape: 11 MLAs, Including 4 Tribals, Sworn-In As Ministers

Ranchi

With the highest tally of 34 Assembly seats, the JMM on Thursday kept 6 Ministerial berths for itself besides the Chief Minister’s leaving four for the Congress (which has 16 seats) and one for the RJD (which has four MLAs).
The 11 MLAs who were sworn in as Ministers are namely Deepak Birua, Ramdas Soren, Chamra Linda, Hafizul Hasan, Sudivya Kumar Sonu and Yogendra Mahato from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Deepika Pandey Singh, Irfan Ansari, Radha Krishna Kishore and Shilpi Neha Tirkey from the Congress, and Sanjay Prasad Yadav from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)

Of the 11 Ministers, four — Deepak Birua, Ramdas Soren and Chamra Linda from the JMM and Shilpi Neha Tirkey from the Congress — make for the tribal representation. If Congress’ Irfan Ansari and JMM’s Hafizul Hasan are representing the minorities, then Congress’ Shilpi and Deepika Pandey Singh make for the women representation in the Hemant dispensation.

The Hemant Cabinet includes six new faces while five others have been retained as Ministers. JMM’s Sudivya Sonu, Yogendra Mahto and Chamra Linda, Congress’ Shilpi and Radha Krishna Kishore and RJD Sanjay Prasad Yadav are first-time Ministers.
In all seven ministers from Hemant’s previous government are out of the scene. Four of them lost in the recent Assembly polls. Of the remaining three, senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon has not been retained despite having won. Former Labour Minister Satyanand Bhokta from the RJD did not contest as his seat was converted into an ST seat and his daughter-in-law too lost. And then, former CM and Transport Minister Champai Soren switched over to the BJP.
Ministers have been made from all the five administrative divisions of Jharkhand — four from Santhal Pargana, two each from Kolhan, South Chotanagpur, and North Chotanagpur and one Minister from Palamu.
As for keeping the caste equations in mind, four MLAs are from the Scheduled Tribes, three from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), one from the Scheduled Castes and two MLAs from the minority communities.
Congress’ Deepika Pandey Singh belongs to the General (Brahmin) category but is married to a Kurmi by virtue of which she also fits into the OBC category socially.
Veteran JMM leader and seniormost legislator Stephen Marandi was administered oath as Protem Speaker. Allocation of portfolios to the new Ministers is expected soon.

Update

7 Kuki-Zo camps to be relocated to tribal areas

The Union Home Ministry and Manipur’s Kuki-Zo insurgent groups have reached an understanding to relocate seven camps from near Meitei-dominated areas. The decision follows a second round of talks on Monday under the 2008 Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement. “It has been agreed in principle that any relocated camps should be in tribal areas. The locations of the new camps in tribal areas will be discussed at a third meeting to be scheduled,” an official said. While Meiteis have opposed the pact blaming armed Kuki militants for involvement in the protracted strife, Kukis have accused Meitei groups, including Arambai Tenggol, of stoking the violence.