The Election Commission, on Thursday, 25 August, reportedly sent its opinion to Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais on a plea which sought Chief Minister Hemant Soren's disqualification as MLA for violating the electoral law by extending a mining lease to himself.
Following this, a few ministers from his government arrived at his residence, along with the Advocate General, news agency ANI reported.
The Chief Minister's office had earlier said that it had received no communication regarding the report recommending his disqualification.
"No communication in this regard has been received by CMO from either ECI or Governor," the Jharkhand CMO added.
The opinion was sent to the Jharkhand Raj Bhavan in a sealed cover this morning, news agency PTI reported. The Jharkhand governor had referred the matter to the poll panel.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the petitioner in the case, has sought Soren's disqualification for violating section 9 A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which deals with disqualification for government contracts.
Under Article 192 of the Constitution, if any question arises as to whether a member of the House of the Legislature of a state has become subject to any of the disqualifications, the question shall be referred to the governor whose decision shall be final.
"Before giving any decision on any such question, the Governor shall obtain the opinion of the Election Commission and shall act according to such opinion," it reads.
'Not Aware of the Order': Governor
Responding to questions, the governor said that he did not know anything about the order "as of now."
"I had gone to AIIMS for treatment, I can only say anything after I reach the Raj Bhavan," he added.
'Soren Govt Should be Dissolved': BJP
Slamming the Soren-led government, BJP leader and former Jharkhand Chief Minister, Raghubar Das, said, "Jharkhand had chosen Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) with a lot of hope and trust but ever since they came to power, they started looting the state's natural resources."
"If someone's responsible for what's happening today, it's the Soren Govt itself. It's in trouble due to its own misdeeds," he added.
Joining in, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey demanded that Soren "should head towards mid-term polls on moral grounds."
"Hemant Soren's (Jharkhand CM) Assembly should be dissolved and there should be elections in all the 81 Assembly constituencies," he said.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI.)
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