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Amid mounting speculation over a possible BJP–JMM realignment in Jharkhand, state Governor Santosh Gangwar met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi
Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar meets Home Mininster Amit Shah in New Delhi | Image: X
Amid mounting buzz over a possible BJP-JMM realignment in Jharkhand, state Governor Santosh Gangwar met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday, fuelling speculations about an impending shift in power in the state.
The development comes as reports suggest Hemant Soren and his wife, Kalpana Soren, have been holding discussions with senior BJP leaders.
Both have been in Delhi for several days and are expected to return to Ranchi on Wednesday, sources said.
Jharkhand’s 81-member Assembly requires 41 seats for a majority. The current JMM-led coalition has 56 seats, with JMM holding 34, Congress 16, RJD 4 and the Left 2.
The BJP, with 21 MLAs, could help form a comfortable majority if it were to align with JMM, especially with the support of the LJP, AJSU and JD(U), which collectively add three more seats, taking the tally to 58.
Reports also claim that a faction of Congress MLAs is in touch with Soren and may support a new arrangement backed externally by the BJP.
Under the anti-defection law, at least 11 of Congress’s 16 MLAs would need to split to avoid disqualification.
According to reports, senior Congress figures privately acknowledged that discussions are underway, with clarity expected within the next two days.
Some accounts indicate that talks have even touched upon potential power-sharing, including a Deputy Chief Minister post.
The shifting political calculus follows simmering resentment within the JMM after its near-elimination from the Bihar Assembly polls.
The party had sought 16 seats under the Grand Alliance, but prolonged indecision by the RJD and Congress leadership reportedly irked the JMM, prompting it to reconsider its alliances ahead of possible changes in Jharkhand’s political landscape.
Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. December 02, 2025, 20:54 IST
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