Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, declared “missing” by the BJP after Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials failed to locate him for over 24 hours, surfaced in Ranchi today. Mr Soren, who was last seen in Delhi on Sunday night, left his home in Ranchi today for a meeting with MLAs from the ruling coalition in Jharkhand.

Reappearance of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader comes amid frenetic political developments in Ranchi and Delhi. ED officials had reached his Delhi address yesterday to question him in a money laundering case, but could not locate him. The agency seized ₹ 36 lakh in cash and Mr Soren’s BMW car, but he was not found at his Delhi homes or at Jharkhand Bhavan in Delhi.

Amid the development, the BJP started claiming that the Chief Minister was “on the run”. State BJP chief Babulal Marandi also put out an advertisement, seeking information about Mr Soren and announcing a cash prize of ₹ 11,000 for credible information.

The JMM, however, had maintained that they are in touch with the Chief Minister. JMM ally Congress alleged that the BJP’s “missing” claim is a conspiracy to create a situation to impose President’s rule in the state. Governor CP Radhakrishnan had said that he is keeping a close watch on the situation. “It is the job of the Governor, I am doing it. We will cross the bridge when it comes,” he told reporters, adding that “no one is above the law”.