The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Mr. Shibu Soren has said that now all options are open for the party. BJP remain guessing of JMM and he has announced that the options include the changing of its alliance as well.

Shibu Soren who is waiting step down as Chief Minister by 30th June has informed that he is in touch with both Congress and BJP.

It is the BJP who have to look out for options. He has also added that whatever the situation may be my government will stay and he will rule as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand for five years. JMM will be in the government at any cost.

This week's raids on current Chief Minister Shibu Soren's aide M. L. Pal, which reportedly unearthed undisclosed assets worth Rs. 65 crore has further cemented the belief that becoming a private secretary to a chief minister is an easy route to riches in Jharkhand.

Vivek, another ex-personal secretary of Soren, still moves around with the chief minister carrying files, though he does not have any official post as Pal continues in his post as the chief minister's personal secretary.

Nationwide raids on Madhu Koda's associates was carried out by Income tax officials, who also raided the private secretary of chief minister Shibu Soren as he had allegedly helped the former chief minister amass illegal wealth to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore.

Houses of M. L. Pal were raided by the IT Officials, which came as a serious embarrassment for Soren. Pal has on house in Jamshedpur and two in Ranchi. Furthermore, search and seizure operations in 70 locations across the country, including Patna, Delhi, Mumbai and Chaibasa, were also carried out by IT Officials.

Ranchi, Jan 9 : Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren Saturday expanded his cabinet, inducting nine ministers and taking its total strength to 12 - the maximum allowed.

The nine new ministers - all of cabinet rank - were sworn in by Governor K. Sankaranarayanan at the Raj Bhavan.

Of the nine, three were from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) - Hemlal Murmu, Hussain Ansari and Mathura Prasad Mahto, three from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - Baidyanath Ram, Barkuwar Gagrai and Nilkanth Singh Munda, two from All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) - Chandra Prakash Chaudhary and Umakant Razak. Sudha Chaudhary is from the Janata Dal-United (JD-U). She is the only woman in the cabinet.

Ranchi, Jan 7 : With reports of Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren all set to seek a vote of confidence in the assembly on Thursday, the opposition parties in Jharkhand staged a protest accusing the government of favouring the Maoists.

Congress and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) party activists raised slogans and held posters against the state government for allegedly favouring Maoists and for the failed law and order situation in Jharkhand.

Ranchi, Jan 7 : Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren will seek a vote of confidence in the Assembly today.

The JMM Chief heads a coalition government that includes the NDA and other small parties and claims to have the support of 46 MLAs.

Besides his 18-member JMM, the other supporting MLAs are the NDA with 20, the AJSU-5, the Jharkhand Jan-adhikar Manch-one, the Rashtriya Kalyan Paksh with one and one Independent MLA - Bidesh Singh.

The new government is the seventh in Jharkhand since its creation nine years back. (ANI)

Ranchi, Jan 7 - The new Jharkhand government headed by Shibu Soren Thursday sought a trust vote in the assembly to prove its majority.

The trust vote was moved by Deputy Chief Minister Raghubar Das as Soren continues to be Lok Sabha MP. He has six months within which to get elected to the assembly.

Soren, who became Jharkhand's seventh chief minister Dec 30, had been asked by Governor K. Shankaranarayan to prove his government's majority on the floor of the house by Jan 8.

Ranchi, Jan 4 : Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren was Monday directed to appear before a court in Giridih district Feb 3 in a murder case.

Additional District and Sessions Judge N. N. Singh passed the order after Soren failed to appear in court Monday.

The case relates to the murder of two people over killing of a goat. The case was filed against 12 people, including Soren, on April 15, 1974.

Two decades ago, eight of the accused were acquitted in the case. The case against Soren was pending as he failed to appear in court earlier.

A warrant pending against Soren surfaced in 2004 and he then surrendered.(IANS)

Bokaro (Jharkhand), Jan 2 : Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren Saturday said the entire Chiriya mines in the state's West Singhbhum district would soon be leased to the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) for its "expansion and modernisation projects".

Soren told reporters here that he was in favour of SAIL being handed over the Chiriya mines, which have deposits of good quality iron ore, so that the company could meet its modernisation and expansion needs.

Ranchi, Dec 31 : Maoist rebels have not taken Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren's offer to initiate dialogue seriously and his appeal to them to surrender and join the mainstream has been dismissed.

"Maoists will not surrender at the suggestion of Shibu Soren. Soren should not try to suppress the 40 year long struggle of the Maoists," said Samarji, a Maoist leader in a press statement to a local Hindi newspaper.

Soren who took charge as the seventh chief minister of Jharkhand Wednesday had offered to initiate dialogue with Maoists and had appealed to them to surrender and join the mainstream of society.

Ranchi, Dec 30 : Shibu Soren, who took over as chief minister Wednesday named Raghubar Das of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Sudesh Mahto of the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) as his deputy chief ministers.

"The cabinet in its meeting decided to send recommendation to the governor requesting to accord deputy chief minister's status to Raghubar Das and Sudesh Mahto," Aditya Swaroop, Jharkhand cabinet secretary, told reporters.    

Ranchi, Dec 30 : Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Chief Shibu Soren took oath as Chief Minister heading a five-party coalition in Jharkhand today.

Sixty-five-year-old Soren, who had been Chief Minister of Jharkhand twice earlier, took oath at the historic Morabadi ground in Ranchi.

Soren has been given ten days time to prove his five-party coalition''s majority on the floor of the Assembly.

Earlier, a Raj Bhavan communique said that Governor K Sankaranaryanan has asked the Soren to take a floor test by January 8.

Ranchi, Dec 30 - He is a politician to the core, known as a champion of the poor and hugely popular despite being dogged by bribery allegations. Shibu Soren, who became Jharkhand's chief minister for the third time Wednesday, will also face two murder cases not long after getting the top post in the state.

Popularly known as 'Guruji', the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief took to politics after battling for years moneylenders who exploited members of his poor and largely impoverished tribal community.

Ranchi, Dec 30 - Shibu Soren Wednesday took oath to become the seventh chief minister of Jharkhand.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief was earlier scheduled to take oath at 2 p. m. in the Morabadi ground here but the ceremony was held at 10.30 a. m. on the advice of astrologers, party officials said.

The JMM is forming the government in Jharkhand with support from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU).

New Delhi, Dec 29 : The union cabinet Tuesday recommended lifting of President's rule in Jharkhand, a day ahead of a new elected government under Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Shibu Soren taking over in the state.

The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting here chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, an official said.

Jharkhand came under President's Rule Jan 19 after no alliance came forward to form the government following Shibu Soren's resignation as chief minister. Soren quit after losing the Tamar assembly byelection.

Ranchi, Dec 29 - Shibu Soren will take oath as Jharkhand's chief minister Wednesday three and a half hours before the original schedule, because that's what his astrologers want.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief was earlier scheduled to take oath at 2 p. m. in the Morabadi ground here but the ceremony will now be held at 10.30 a. m., party officials said.

The JMM is set to form the government in Jharkhand with support from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU).

Ranchi, Dec 28 : Jharkhand Governor K. Shankarnaraynan on Monday asked Chief Minister designate Shibu Soren to prove majority on the floor of the assembly by January 8.

According to Raj Bhawan sources the time of oath taking on Wednesday has also been preponed to 10.30 in the morning.

Meanwhile, the Centre has recommended lifting of the President Rule in the state, which was existing since January.

Bhopal, Dec 28 : Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj Monday said there was nothing wrong in the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) decision to support a Shibu Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) government in Jharkhand, as he had been absolved of murder charges by the high court.

"The party's parliamentary board was unanimous on the decision of joining hands with Soren and there were no differences in the party over forming a government with him in Jharkhand," she told media persons during her first visit to the city after taking over from L. K. Advani.

Ranchi, Dec 28 : As Jharkhand prepares to get another coalition government, old friends have become foes while once bitter rivals are set to prop up Shibu Soren as the next chief minister.

The 2009 post-poll scenario is quite different from what one saw five years earlier.

In 2005, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Congress were together. The latter played a key role in the formation of the Shibu Soren government although the numbers were pitted against him.

Ranchi, Dec 28 - Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren, who is set to form the government in Jharkhand with support from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Monday left Ranchi for Mumbai to meet BJP president Nitin Gadkari.

"Soren left for Mumbai along with AJSU chief Sudesh Mahto, BJP state president Raghubar Das and senior BJP leader C. P. Singh by a chartered plane," Supriyo Bhattacharya, general secretary of JMM, told IANS.