Kalpana Soren, the wife of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, has entered electoral fray. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has declared her as their candidate for the upcoming by-election in the Gandey assembly seat.
Though she has been seen in election rallies, there was speculation about her entering active politics. Now with the official announcement of her candidature, the picture has become clear. Voting for this seat will be held on May 20.
JMM stated, "The final list of candidates for the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in the 2024 Lok Sabha general elections and the 2024 Gandey assembly by-election is hereby released. Samir Mohanty will contest from the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha constituency. Meanwhile, Kalpana Soren has been nominated as the candidate for the Gandey assembly seat."
Even before her candidacy was officially announced, Kalpana Soren had begun her preparations for the Gandey seat, which is located in the Giridih district of Jharkhand. Recently, she addressed a JMM worker's conference there.
Even before Hemant Soren's arrest, discussions about Kalpana Soren had gained momentum in the political corridors of Jharkhand. When there was a possibility that Hemant Soren could be arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, he called a meeting of party leaders at his residence. Kalpana Soren was also present in that meeting and her picture from the meeting also went viral.
Since then, speculations were being made that Kalpana would carry forward her husband's political legacy. After Hemant Soren's arrest, when discussions started on who would be the next Chief Minister, Kalpana Soren's name came to the fore.
After much deliberation, the party decided that Kalpana would not become the Chief Minister for the time being. After this, Champai Soren, popularly known as 'Jharkhand Tiger', was appointed the Chief Minister of the state.
