Jharkhand chief minister Arjun Munda on Friday expanded his Cabinet by inducting nine more ministers nearly a month after he assumed office.

With the BJP seeking to induct its Jharkhand ally JMM into the NDA fold, Sibu Soren’s party has witnessed sharp divisions of opinions. Most JMM leaders want the party’s alliance with the BJP to remain restricted only to Jharkhand and only for the present Assembly’s tenure.

BJP leader and Jharkhand’s newly-appointed chief minister Arjun Munda sailed through the confidence vote with expected ease on Tuesday, winning by 15 votes in the 81-member state Assembly. The tribal leader is now confronted with the knotty hurdle of choosing ministers from the BJP and the three allies supporting his government.

Jharkhand chief minister Arjun Munda will seek a trust vote on Tuesday at a makeshift Assembly instead of the Assembly building, whose current state of disrepair due to an unusually prolonged renovation work is an instant metaphor for the misgovernance Jharkhand is known for. The Sri Krishna Institute of Public Administration (SKIPA)

Arjun Munda, who became Jharkhand’s chief minister for the third time by forging a surprising truce between the BJP and the JMM, has had an extreme love-hate relationship with the JMM and its founder-

Despite leaders of the BJP and the JMM confidently assuring stability of the new coalition government under Arjun Munda and its dedication for Jharkhand’s speedy development, the Opposition parties in the state are unconvinced about the new government’s longevity and professed good intentions.

Tribal leader Arjun Munda of the BJP was on Saturday sworn in as Jharkhand’s eighth chief minister in a ceremony attended by a galaxy of senior BJP leaders from across the country and chief ministers of two BJP-ruled states. AJSU leader Sudesh Mahto and JMM leader Hemant Soren also took oath as the two deputy chief ministers.

BJP’s Arjun Munda will take over the reins of Jharkand for the third time when he is sworn in as chief minister on Saturday to head the eighth government in 10 years and leaders of two alliance parties are also expected to take oath along with him.

At least 13 people were injured on Friday as residents protesting the expansion plans of the Bokaro Steel Plant in Jharkhand clashed with security personnel, the police said.

A self-style zonal commander of the CPI(Maoist) has surrendered before the police at Medininagar in Jharkhand, the police said on Thursday.