Hemant Soren takes oath as J'khand CM for third time

JMM executive president Hemant Soren took oath as the chief minister of Jharkhand on Thursday, a week after he was released on bail in a money- laundering case.

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Hemant Soren replaced Champai Soren, who resigned on Wednesday after a brief stint of nearly five months as the Jharkhand chief minister.

Hemant was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor C P Radhakrishnan at the Raj Bhavan here. This is the third time the JMM leader has taken oath as the state chief minister.

Champai was also present in the swearing-in ceremony along with family members of Hemant Soren and others.

Hemant Soren was released from jail on June 28 after the Jharkhand High Court granted bail to him in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. He had resigned as the chief minister, shortly before his arrest on January 31 by the Enforcement Directorate.

He became the 13th chief minister of Jharkhand, which was carved out of Bihar in 2000.

Soren became the chief minister for the first time in 2013 and was in power for a year and five months. After the December 2019 assembly elections, he was again at the top post but had to resign in January this year.

After taking the oath, Soren praised his predecessor Champai, saying he discharged his duties well.