The 22nd Foundation Day of the Jharkhand Assembly saw only 22 MLAs including chief minister Hemant Soren and speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato attending the function in Ranchi on Tuesday.

Almost all the Opposition BJP MLAs, barring Ranchi MLA C.P. Singh, could not be seen in the first row reserved for MLAs. The BJP has 26 MLAs in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly.

The function saw governor Ramesh Bais sharing the dais with chief minister Soren.

“We were waiting to see if the governor turns up for the Jharkhand Assembly function. It was good that the governor turned up finally, otherwise it would have been another embarrassing situation,” said a Congress MLA.

Bais had skipped the Jharkhand statehood function on November 15 in Ranchi despite confirming his presence as the chief guest. The governor, however, attended the function with President Droupadi Murmu and Soren in Khunti on the same day.