The Congress had reportedly promised JMM supreme Shibu Soren one Cabinet and one state minister births after his government survived in the July-22 vote with the support of Samajwadi Party and the JMM among others. The Congress on Tuesday admitted that political turmoil in tribal-dominated Jharkhand has cast its shadow over the ongoing Cabinet expansion exercise.

'Until the Jharkhand issue is resolved, there cannot be a Cabinet reshuffle or expansion,' said a top Congress official who declined to be named citing politics as reason. He said SP is unlikely to join the government adding a consensus on the issue is elusive in the Samajwadi Party.

Jharkhand was plunged into political uncertainty after JMM chief insisted that he be made chief minister of the state replacing present incumbent Madhu Kaoda. It worsened further when Koda refused to put in his papers and demanded the Governor Syed Sibte Razi to allow him to prove majority on the floor of the House. The Governor who left with little option granted him time by August 25 to face the test on the floor.

Soren, who was recently cleared from a Court case, expressed confident that he would form the next government in the state. Similarly, chief minister Koda emphatically denied that his government has been reduced to minority. The sources in the government said the home ministry has sought reports from the Governor.

The Congress high command would be sending Ajay Makan, a Congress Working Committee member and in charge of Jharkhand to Ranchi ahead of the floor test to ensure that Congress flock remain together even though there is little possibility of a split in the Congress folds. The relations between the Soren and Congress deteriorated when the ruling party told him to muster the support of other constituents of the ruling coalition in the state before seeking its support to head a new government.

Soren's hopes scattered as RJD, a key ally of the ruling government in the state announced that it would not back Soren as the chief minister. Situation got further complicated after four crucial independent MLAs also declined to back JMM chief as the successor of Koda. Soren held Congress responsible for all this political mess and said Congress played dirty tricks on him and put pressure on RJD chief Lalu Yadav and independents blocking his way to the office of the chief minister of Jharkhand. (EON)