Ranchi, Jan 4 (IANS) A special session of the Jharkhand assembly began Monday with 69 newly elected legislators being sworn in. Chief Minister Shibu Soren is to prove his government’s majority Thursday.
The first to take oath was Deputy Chief Minister and state BJP president Raghubar Das, followed by All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) president Sudesh Mahto, who is also a deputy chief minister.

Among the prominent legislators who took oath Monday was Geeta Koda, wife of former chief minister Madhu Koda who is in jail on charges of graft.

“I feel nice to be a member of the assembly. I am here to carry forward the agenda of my husband,” Geeta Koda said after taking oath.

Jharkhand was under President’s Rule from Jan 19 to Dec 29. The assembly session has been convened after a gap of one year as Governor K. Sankaranarayanan asked Soren to prove majority on the floor of the house.

Soren took oath as Jharkhand’s seventh chief minister Dec 30. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief has formed the government with the support of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), AJSU and Janata Dal-United (JD-U).

While BJP and JMM have 18 legislators each, AJSU has five and two belong to JD-U.

Three independents have also extended support to the government, taking the tally to 46 in the 81-member assembly.

The 12 legislators who could not take oath included two jailed former ministers - Enos Ekka and Harinarayan Rai. The third newly elected JMM legislator is jailed Maoist leader Polush Surin.

The election of the speaker will take place Wednesday and Soren will seek trust vote Thursday. The governor will address the house Jan 9.