J'khand: CM Champai Soren Keeps Home, Personnel, Cabinet Secretariat Among Other Depts

Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren on Friday allotted portfolios to ministers, keeping key departments like home and personnel, for himself in addition to those not allocated to other legislators.

Basant Soren, the youngest son of JMM supremo Shibu Soren, who is one of the new faces in the 11-member cabinet along with Deepak Birua, was given charge of road construction, building construction and water resources.

Birua (JMM), who belongs to the Ho tribe, was given the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/OBC welfare and transport ministries. Bebi Devi, the excise minister in the previous Hemant Soren government, was given the women & child development and social welfare portfolios.

Devi had contested the Dumri by-poll in 2023 after the death of her husband Jagannath Mahto. There was no change in the portfolio of Rameshwar Oraon (Congress), as he has been assigned the finance, planning, commercial taxes and food & civil supplies ministries.

Likewise, Alamgir Alam (Congress) retained the rural development, panchayati raj and rural works departments. Satyanand Bhokta (RJD) was re-assigned the labour portfolio, and also given charge of the industry department, while Banna Gupta retained the health & disaster management ministry.

Badal Patralekh will continue to be the agriculture and animal husbandry minister.

The minorities welfare, registration and tourism, sports and youth affairs portfolios went to Hafizul Hasan. On February 2, Champai Soren, 67, was sworn in as the 12th chief minister of the state, while senior Congress leader Alamgir Alam and RJD leader Satyanand Bhokta took oath as ministers.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) executive president Hemant Soren was arrested by the ED on January 31, shortly after he resigned as the chief minister.

The JMM-led alliance in the state has 47 MLAs JMM-29, Congress-17 and one of the RJD in the 81-member assembly.

The BJP has 26 legislators and the AJSU Party has three. The NCP and CPI (ML) have one lawmaker each, apart from two Independents. There is also a nominated member.