President's rule imposed in Jharkhand

President's rule was imposed in Jharkhand on Tuesday two days after Shibu Soren stepped down as chief minister and none of the three major political parties in the state showing willingness to form an alternate government.

The cabinet committee on political affairs chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met on Tuesday morning to approve the imposition of President's rule and put the legislative assembly in suspended animation, official sources said.

The decision came after Governor MOH Farook sent a report on the political situation in the state to the Union Home Ministry Monday night.

Before sending the report, the governor summoned leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress and the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) to see if they could form a government after Soren stepped down on Sunday.

The three parties told Farook they did not have the numbers to form an alternative government.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief minister had asked for time till May 31 to prove majority after his government lost support of the BJP.

The governor in his report had pointed out that no party was willing to form the government and suggested that the state be put under a short spell of president's rule.

The JMM-led five-month-old government was propped up by the BJP with 18 members, the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) with five legislators and the Janata Dal-United's two members.

The Congress has 14 members, the JVM-P 11, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal five legislators. There also are five Independents.

The JMM-led government was reduced to minority after the BJP withdrew support May 24.

Jharkhand was plunged into political uncertainty when Soren voted against the BJP's cut motions in parliament last month to favour the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.