The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has filed a Right to Information query with the governor’s secretariat asking what opinion the Election Commission had given on chief minister Hemant Soren’s possible disqualification as an MLA.

As many as 45 days have passed since the poll panel submitted its opinion to Ramesh Bais on an office-of-profit complaint against Soren over holding a mining lease, but the governor is yet to disclose the contents.

This triggered a spell of uncertainty in Jharkhand during which the ruling JMM-Congress combine alleged attempts by the BJP to topple the government. Ruling MLAs had to be sequestered in a resort in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh and later Soren sought and won a trust vote in the Assembly.

JMM general secretary Vinod Pandey has in the RTI petition to the public information officer, Jharkhand governor’s secretariat, on Saturday evening requeste a copy of the Election Commission’s opinion “in relation to Section 9A of RP Act (the Representation of the People Act) 1951 read with Article 192 of the Constitution of India in relation to chief minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren.”

Earlier in September, Hemant had met governor Bais and urged him to clear the confusion prevailing in the state over the poll panel’s opinion on his “disqualification” as a member of the Assembly in connection with the office-of-profit case.

“Provide a copy of the decision of the Election Commission and provide an opportunity for reasonable hearing at the earliest so that the atmosphere of uncertainty engulfing the state, which is dangerous for healthy democracy, can be removed soon,” Soren had urged the governor in a two-page letter submitted to him.

The chief minister had also said the Opposition BJP had been taking advantage of the uncertainty to “destabilise a democratically elected government by trying to poach ruling UPA (United Progressive Alliance) MLAs”.

Hemant's legal team had in September also approached the Election Commission seeking a copy of its opinion to the governor.