Ranchi schools shut on Nov 28 to avoid crowd amid Hemant Soren’s swearing-in

All the schools in Ranchi will remain shut in the wake of the swearing-in ceremony of Jharkhand Chief Minister-designate Hemant Soren on November 28.

The District Education Officer of Ranchi issued a notice on Wednesday, directing that schools in the city will remain closed on Thursday, November 28 to avoid traffic congestion and crowd in wake of Soren's swearing-in ceremony.

The notice stated that the decision was taken while keeping in mind the interest of the students and the request of the parents. It said the students coming by school bus may get stuck in traffic for hours. “In this regard, many parents are requesting through telephone to keep the school closed tomorrow,” the notice released on Wednesday stated.

Hemant Soren is set to take oath as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand in a grand ceremony at Morabadi Ground on Thursday, with several prominent political leaders and dignitaries, including key members of the INDIA bloc, expected to be in attendance.

Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Soren at 4 pm.

This will be the 49-year-old JMM leader's fourth stint as chief minister. Soren retained the Barhait seat by defeating BJP's Gamliyel Hembrom by a margin of 39,791 votes in the recently held Assembly polls. Soren’s JMM-led alliance stormed to victory, securing 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, while the BJP-led NDA managed 24 seats.

Hemant Soren's JMM and its INDIA bloc allies won the Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024 by a huge margin. The JMM achieved its highest-ever tally in the elections, winning 34 of the 43 seats it contested. Congress secured 16, RJD 4, and CPI(ML) bagged 2 seats in the INDIA bloc. According to the power-sharing arrangement, the RJD is expected to receive one ministerial berth.

"I’m grateful to the people of Jharkhand for their continued trust in our leadership," Soren said, adding, "This victory reflects the aspirations of the people, and we will work towards fulfilling them. This is a victory of the people and their vision for a peaceful and progressive Jharkhand," Soren said in his victory speech.