Jharkhand Cabinet Expansion: 11 ministers take oath in Hemant Soren-led govt

The Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government expanded its cabinet on Thursday, with 11 ministers taking the oath of office.

The ceremony was held at the Raj Bhavan, with Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar administering the oaths.

Ministers taking oath included:

• Radha Krishna Kishore
• Deepak Birua
• Chamra Linda
• Sanjay Prasad Yadav
• Ramdas Soren
• Irfan Ansari
• Hafizul Hassan
• Dipika Pandey Singh
• Yogendra Prasad
• Sudivya Kumar
• Shilpi Neha Tirki

The ceremony commenced around noon, beginning with the Protem Speaker, Stephen Marandi, taking the oath. Marandi, a senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA, was appointed during the first cabinet meeting on November 28.

He will oversee the assembly’s proceedings until a permanent Speaker is elected.

Alliance dynamics
The cabinet appointments reflect the power-sharing dynamics within the ruling alliance. Congress leader Rajesh Thakur confirmed the finalisation of the ministerial list, which chief minister Soren submit to the Governor. Congress is expected to secure four cabinet berths, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) will receive one, according to sources.

The JMM, which secured 34 of the 81 assembly seats, will retain the remaining berths. The alliance government, which also includes the Congress (16 seats), RJD (4 seats), and CPI (ML) (2 seats), holds a comfortable majority of 56 seats.

Jharkhand Assembly session scheduled
The cabinet has also announced a four-day assembly session from December 9-12. Key legislative discussions are expected during this session.

The JMM-led alliance returned to power in November 2024, defeating the BJP-led NDA, which won 24 seats. The BJP, despite being the second-largest party with 21 seats, was unable to form a government.

Hemant Soren, who was sworn in as the chief minister on November 28, now embarks on his fourth term in office, leading Jharkhand’s efforts toward development and governance under the alliance’s agenda.