After dragging his feet for two days, embattled Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren on Saturday agreed to step down following growing political pressure in the wake of his defeat in an assembly by-poll.
The decision by the 65-year-old tribal leader came at the end of his six-hour meeting with MLAs and executive members of his party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
“We have taken a final decision in our executive body meeting and legislature party meeting and I will go to Delhi tomorrow to convey the message to the central UPA leadership,” Soren told newsmen after the meeting.
Asked on his continuance as chief minister, Soren said he had already agreed to vacate the chair.
The JMM president declined to also would not reveal if the party was proposing an alternative JMM MLA for the top post.
“I will not say anything on that. I will tell Lalu Prasad ji and Sonia ji,” said Soren.
Asserting that JMM was with UPA and would continue to be in the alliance in future elections too, Soren said he accepted his defeat in the bypoll. “I honour the people’s verdict,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Sudhir Mahto, said JMM MLAs had left it to Soren on the way to end the present political uncertainty.
”We have entrusted on guruji about it,” Mahto said when asked whether JMM would project any of its MLAs as the chief ministerial candidate during Soren’s meeting with the UPA central leadership.
