Shibu Soren seeks chance to form Jharkhand govt

With 18 assembly seats in his kitty, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren on Thursday said the results indicated his popularity and expressed his desire to form the government in Jharkhand, which has given a fractured verdict.

"The JMM is the single largest party and I should be given the chance to form the government," said Soren, who has emerged as the king-maker after the results of the state assembly polls were declared on Wednesday.

"Guruji (Soren) has always been the king and not the king maker. The JMM holds the key," claimed Suprio Bhattacharya, the party's organisational secretary, indicating that nothing less than the chief minister's post for Soren would satisfy the rank and file.

The Congress-Jharkhand Vikas Morcha alliance with 25 seats has emerged the single largest alliance. The Congress has won 14 seats while the JVM-P won 11. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal-United alliance has secured 20 seats in the 81-member House.