The Election Commission has sent a notice to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren over a mining lease granted in his name in alleged violation of Section 9A of the Representation of Peoples’ Act 1951, an official said on Monday.
The poll panel sought to know as to why no action should be initiated against him for having the mine lease issued in his favour, he said. Section 9A of the Representation of People’s Act primarily deals with disqualification of government contracts.
Jharkhand’s ruling JMM and opposition BJP have been locking horns over Soren flouting office-of-profit norms due to the mining lease being in his name.
The BJP has alleged that Soren, while heading the mining department, allotted a stone chips mining lease to himself in 2021 flouting the office of profit norms. The BJP has accused Soren of allocating a mining lease to himself, his political advisor Pankaj Mishra and press advisor Abhishek Prasad, while holding charge of the state mining department.
Soren was in New Delhi recently, amid speculations of the chief minister working out legalities in the national capital.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has maintained that no rules were violated and the allocation of land for mining was cancelled.
