Koda quits, Soren struggles for numbers to form govt

KODA QUITS: Chief Minister Madhu Koda finally resigned on Saturday, paving the path for Shibu Soren.

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Ranchi: Paving the way for Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren to take over the reins of the state, Chief Minister Madhu Koda finally resigned on Saturday.

However, it's not going to be easy for Soren as the Congress and RJD are reluctant to be drawn into the number crunching game.

A day after meeting RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Koda submitted his resignation. The latest political changes in Jharkhand are part of the deal that the UPA struck with Soren to get support for the Trust Vote in Lok Sabha.

However, Soren's dream of becoming chief minister again faces some hurdles. Koda may quit but he is unwilling to make things easy for the JMM chief.

"Under the present circumstances, it is difficult for me to support Soren," says Koda.

Both the RJD and the Congress may have convinced Koda to step down, but they are reluctant to help Soren get the numbers.

Lalu has been a supporter of Koda and is opposed to Soren occupying the CM's chair. And the Congress certainly doesn't want to share the blame for the downfall of the Koda government.

In days ahead, politics in the state is set to heat up as Soren gera up to get the numbers. In the 82-member Assembly, 41 is the required number for a majority. JMM has 17, RJD seven and Congress has nine - making it 33.

Soren needs eight more MLAs to get the majority of which three Independents are already supporting him.

Two rebel BJP MLAs are likely to support Soren, but he still needs three more to sail through.

While Soren chases the chief minister's chair, it's Jharkhand, which has once again been thrown into political uncertainty.