"Should be done before Dec 9": Congress leader Meem Afzal on cabinet expansion in Jharkhand

New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI): Congress leader Meem Afzal on Monday expressed hope that the long-awaited cabinet expansion in Jharkhand would be completed before December 9, following discussions between the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress.
"The discussion between the leaders (JMM and Congress) will take place in next one or two days after it were delayed due to weekend and the Parliament session. It (cabinet expansion) should be done before December 9. I think it should be decided before December 9," the Congress leader said.
"The Congress party does not have any demands. It is already clear," Afzal added, in response to a query.
Jharkhand Congress President Keshav Mahto Kamlesh also said on Monday that a decision on the cabinet expansion will be made very soon.
In response to a query regarding the Jharkhand government cabinet expansion, the JMM leader said, "Everything will be done. You will witness (the cabinet expansion), and you will very soon get information on every issue."
When asked further, he clarified, "There is no kind of resentment (between the leaders of the alliance)."
Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir also commented on the matter, stating that Congress will hold discussions with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on the issue of cabinet berths.
"In two to three days, the cabinet berths of the Jharkhand government will be announced. We (Congress) will hold discussions with JMM and decide on the cabinet berths," he told ANI.
"First, questions were raised on the distribution of tickets followed by the distribution of seats. But we had said that the alliance would get a better mandate, and the results are in front of you," he added.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren assumed office on November 28 after taking the oath as Chief Minister for a second consecutive term.
The JMM steered the INDIA bloc to victory with 56 seats in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly. The JMM won 34 seats, while its allies secured 22 seats. Among the allies, the Congress won 16 seats, the RJD won four, and the CPI-ML won two seats.
The BJP-led NDA won only 24 seats in Jharkhand. The BJP secured 21 seats, with its allies the AJSU party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and JD-U winning one seat each. Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha won a seat with its chief, Jairam Kumar Mahato, emerging victorious in the Dumri constituency. (ANI)