Amid political turmoil in the wake of reports of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s possible disqualification as an MLA, around 31 MLAs and ministers of the state’s ruling UPA coalition have reached Chhattisgarh capital Raipur.

The legislators were summoned by the Chief Minister to and keep his flock together expecting a possible poaching attempt from the BJP. The ruling coalition in Jharkhand comprises JMM, Congress and RJD. The ruling coalition in Jharkhand comprises JMM, Congress and RJD. Speculation is that the MLAs who reached Raipur include four ministers among 13 from Congress and 18 from JMM. It was announced that ministers belonging to the JMM did not go.

Soren, while interacting with reporters at the Ranchi airport, said that the ruling alliance is ready to face any eventuality. Putting up a bold face, the CM said there was nothing ‘unforeseen’ in what’s going on. “We are ready for everything, the situation is under our control. I will let you know if I will also go with the MLAs,” he asserted.

Calling the step he has taken under the circumstances part of his strategy, Soren said, “You will see how nicely the ruling alliance handles this conspiracy.”

On Saturday, the CM, along with the MLAs of the ruling coalition, had gone to Latratu dam in the Khunti district.

Earlier on Saturday, Soren had called a meeting of the state’s ruling coalition amidst speculation about his possible disqualification as an MLA from the state assembly for allegedly violating poll norms by extending himself a mining lease.

The ruling coalition has 49 MLAs in the 81-member state assembly with the CM’s JMM having 30 MLAs, 18 MLAs of the Congress and a lone MLA from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

The Chief Minister’s Office issued a statement on Thursday as speculation about ECI sending a report to the state Governor about Soren’s disqualification made it to political air. It alleged that BJP leaders have themselves drafted the ECI report, “which is otherwise a sealed cover report”, pointing to a bid to topple the incumbent government in a manner similar to the one witnessed in Maharashtra where an elected coalition government was toppled to install a government with the help of a breakaway group of the Shiv Sena.

The BJP is accused of targeting the CM directly by seeking his disqualification as an MLA implicating him in a case for allocating a mining lease to himself as he held the portfolio of Mines Minister in 2021.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the jharkhand Cabinet is scheduled for September 1.