Ranchi: The political crisis in Jharkhand is showing no signs of resolving.
After dragging their feet for nearly a month, the BJP finally withdrew support to the Shibu Soren Government in Jharkhand on Monday as it became clear that the Chief Minister had no intention of stepping down to allow a BJP-led government to take over.
Shibu Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) now has one week to prove its majority in the state Assembly.
JMM leader Hemant Soren, however, denies that it is in talks with the Congress to form a government. The Congress too has not openly admitted to any talks.
But it will be almost impossible for the JMM to form a government without help from the Congress.
Soren needs 23 MLAs more to remain in power. The Congress has 14. And Babu Lal Marandi - who has 11 MLAs and runs his own political outfit Jharkhand Vikas Morcha - isn't playing ball.
"There is no question of going along with Soren," Marandi has said.
The BJP parliamentary board had on April 28 decided to withdraw support to the JMM government after Soren voted against the party-sponsored cut motion against the UPA Government in Lok Sabha a day earlier.
However, the decision was put on hold when JMM Legislature party leader and Soren's son Hemant wrote a letter to BJP chief Nitin Gadkari pledging support to a BJP-led government.
But, the JMM backtracked and demanded rotational power sharing with each party leading the government for 28 months.
This was agreed to by BJP on the understanding that Soren will quit as Chief Minister by May 25 after which Munda will head the new coalition government.
As the deadline for his stepping down approached, Soren made it clear on Friday that there was not going to quit.
"The question of a change of government comes if there is no development. But now development is going on," he had told reporters.
The Chief Minister had on Saturday went a step further saying he was weighing all options, including cutting a deal with the Congress to continue in power.