DIPIKA PANDEY SINGH
Jharkhand: Discontent among Cong MLAs over portfolios; threaten to boycott assembly session
Congress legislators in Jharkhand are expressing resentment over the induction of four party MLAs as ministers in the Champai Soren-led JMM government. As many as 12 MLAs have threatened to boycott the upcoming assembly session from February 23 and head to Jaipur if the ministers are not replaced by new faces. The JMM-led alliance in the state has 47 MLAs in the 81-member assembly. Unhappy over Congress' decision to give ministerial berths to Alamgir Alam, Rameshwar Oraon, Banna Gupta, and Badal Patralekh again, the legislators went into a huddle at Ranchi Circuit House just before the swearing-in ceremony on Friday with plans of boycotting it.
Jharkhand: Eight of 12 Congress MLAs disgruntled over portfolio distribution in Champai Soren government reach Delhi
Unhappy with the Congress' decision to again give ministerial berths to Alamgir Alam, Rameshwar Oraon, Banna Gupta and Badal Patralekh, the legislators went into a huddle at a Ranchi hotel earlier in the day, where JMM's new minister Basant Soren, the youngest son of party supremo Shibu Soren, reached to persuade them to change their decision.
Jharkhand Congress MLAs 'unhappy' with new cabinet, say "new faces should have been given chance"
Eight ministers took oath in the new Champai Soren cabinet in Jharkhand. Some Congress MLAs expressed discontent with the expansion, demanding the inclusion of new faces. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey criticized the alliance for not including a Scheduled Caste member.
Congress appoints Prithviraj Chavan as chairman of screening panel for Assam polls
"The Congress president has constituted the following Screening Committee for the forthcoming assembly elections in Assam with immediate effect with Prithviraj Chavan as the chairman and Kamleshwar Patel and Dipika Pandey Singh as members," a party statement said.
JMM may have 6 ministers, Congress 4, RJD 1 in Hemant Soren cabinet
Congress is yet to finalise its four ministers in the Soren cabinet, party insiders said. While senior party leaders Alamgir Alam, Rameshwar Oraon, who is also the state Congress president, and Rajendra Prasad Singh are three confirmed names, the party is yet to finalise the fourth name, party insiders said.
