Hemant Soren meets Sonia, Rahul Gandhi at 10 Janpath, says JMM-Congress-RJD coalition will last full five years

New Delhi: Jharkhand chief minister-designate Hemant Soren on Wednesday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and said the JMM-Congress-RJD coalition will provide a stable government that would last a full five-year term.

He also invited them for his swearing-in ceremony scheduled in Ranchi on 29 December.

Those present during the brief meeting between Sonia Gandhi and Soren at her 10 Janpath residence included senior Congress leaders KC Venugopal and RPN Singh, who is the party’s in-charge for Jharkhand.

When asked about talks over government formation, Soren told reporters: “You should wait, that will happen.”

“I had come here to meet Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to invite them to my swearing-in. I also congratulated the victory of the coalition of the JMM-Congress-RJD in Jharkhand,” he said, adding that “the coalition will provide a stable government that will last the full five-year term”.

On whether he will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders, Soren said, “When we were fighting elections, I saw them as BJP, but now I see them as prime minister and home minister (Amit Shah).”

He said a number of things have to be taken care of in Jharkhand on priority. Soren, who arrived here in the afternoon, is also expected to meet Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and invite him for the function.

Before the meeting with Sonia Gandhi, Soren had said it is a courtesy meeting.

Soren also wanted to thank the Congress and its leadership for their support in helping form a coalition government in the state, sources close to him said.

The JMM-led three-party alliance stormed to power in Jharkhand on Monday, ousting the BJP in yet another state in the Hindi heartland after the saffron party’s stupendous performance in the Lok Sabha elections.

The JMM on Wednesday said Governor Droupadi Murmu has invited its working president and chief minister-designate Hemant Soren to form government.

The governor’s invitation comes a day after Soren called on the governor at Raj Bhavan to stake claim to form government, submitting a letter of support of 50 MLAs to her.

The pre-poll opposition combine bagged 47 seats (JMM 30, Congress 16 and RJD one) in the 81-member assembly, while the three-member JVM (P) has extended “unconditional support” to Soren to form government.

Contesting the Jharkhand elections alone for the first time sans long-standing ally the AJSU Party, the ruling BJP bagged 25 seats.