On November 28, Hemant Soren, the leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), was sworn in as the 14th Chief Minister of Jharkhand at a grand ceremony held in Ranchi. The event was attended by prominent leaders from the INDIA alliance.
The 49-year-old tribal leader took the oath of office from Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar at Morabadi Ground, Ranchi. Among the INDI Alliance leaders Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Before the swearing-in, Soren, dressed in a white kurta, pyjama and Nehru jacket, met with his father, JMM President Shibu Soren. This marks Hemant Soren’s fourth term as Jharkhand’s Chief Minister.
Soren successfully retained his Barhait seat in the recent assembly elections defeating BJP candidate Gamliyel Hembrom by a margin of 39,791 votes. The JMM-led alliance achieved a resounding victory, securing 56 seats in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, while the BJP-led NDA won only 24 seats.
Soren’s swearing-in saw several political leaders in attendance, including Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav and Bihar’s Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav.
Tribal dancers, dressed in traditional attire, performed to the beats of dhol and nagara, creating a vibrant atmosphere at the venue, which was surrounded by tight security. In light of the swearing-in, schools in Ranchi remained closed today.
Ahead of the ceremony, Soren took to X, emphasising that unity is the state’s greatest strength. He warned that the people of Jharkhand would not be silenced or divided. In what seemed like a veiled critique of the BJP-led Union government, Soren wrote, “Whenever they try to silence us, our revolution grows louder. We are Jharkhandis, and we do not bow down.”
Soren expressed his firm commitment to justice, unity, and the continued struggle for the people of Jharkhand, declaring, “Our fight will continue until the last breath”.
Describing the day as historic, he underscored that it would further strengthen the collective struggle and the spirit of love, brotherhood, and justice among the people of Jharkhand. He also emphasised the importance of unity in the face of growing social divisions.
Soren visited the Morabadi Ground on November 27 to oversee the arrangements for the swearing-in ceremony, expressing gratitude for the presence of esteemed leaders. He met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on November 26 marking his first visit to the national capital after leading the alliance to a historic second consecutive term.
In the elections, the JMM achieved its best-ever performance, winning 34 of the 43 seats it contested. The Congress secured 16, the RJD won 4, and CPI(ML) claimed 2 seats in the INDIA bloc.