Champai Soren, the legislative party leader of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), officially took the oath as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand on Friday. The swearing-in ceremony occurred at the Raj Bhawan in Ranchi. Governor C P Radhakrishnan nominated Champai Soren for the position following his plea to swiftly form the government. Champai Soren, who previously held the transport portfolio, was chosen as the JMM legislative party leader by the ruling coalition on Wednesday, succeeding Hemant Soren, who resigned. Hemant Soren was subsequently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate regarding an alleged money laundering case.

This development follows a late-night invitation from Jharkhand governor CP Radhakrishnan to Champai Soren, a loyalist of JMM leader Hemant Soren, to form the government. Champai Soren has been asked to prove his majority in a floor test within the next 10 days.

The invitation comes after Champai Soren urged the governor to expedite the process amidst political uncertainties following Hemant Soren's resignation on Wednesday.

Earlier, there was uncertainty regarding government formation, with the JMM-led coalition arranging to fly its MLAs to Telangana from Ranchi. However, this plan was scrapped last minute due to poor visibility preventing the chartered planes from taking off.

Champai Soren will succeed Hemant Soren, who stepped down as chief minister following his arrest by the ED in connection with an alleged money laundering case. He has been remanded to judicial custody until February 2. The case revolves around a "huge racket of illegal change of land ownership by mafia" in Jharkhand.

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