Will Hemant Soren's Wife Kalpana Be Jharkhand CM? Ruling Party In Huddle As ED Closes In On Jharkhand CM

As the Enforcement Directorate (ED) tightens its grip on Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, there are speculations of his wife, Kalpana Soren, taking over the position. Since February 2022, when the ED sought to link Hemant to an "illegal" ownership of a mining lease, there has been turbulence in state politics.

The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has instructed all party MLAs, including those from its alliance partners Congress and RJD, to remain in the state capital, Ranchi, until further notice, given the unfolding political situation.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey suggests that Kalpana Soren may replace her husband, and this is purportedly the reason behind the alliance MLAs being instructed to stay in Ranchi.

Who is Kalpana Soren?

Kalpana, originally from Mayurbhanj district in Odisha, holds a Master's in Engineering and an MBA degree. She married Hemant in February 2006, and they have two sons.

According to report, Kalpana is also close to President Droupadi Murmu, who also hails from Mayurbhanj district.

How numbers stack up in Jharkhand

In the 81-member assembly, JMM holds 30 seats, Congress 16, and RJD 1, while the opposition BJP has 25, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha 3, All Jharkhand Students Union 2, and others 4.

Meanwhile, Hemant Soren's current whereabouts remain unknown, although he has communicated to ED officials that he will be available for questioning in Ranchi on Wednesday. JMM General Secretary Vinod Kumar Pandey has stated that all MLAs of the ruling alliance are required to stay in Ranchi, and a meeting on Tuesday will discuss the future course of action.

In light of the ED's raid on the CM's residence in Delhi, the ruling party legislators had stayed at the chief minister's residence on Monday night. Despite earlier attempts by the ED to question Soren in connection with a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam, he was not traceable during the raid in Delhi.

Soren later communicated to the probe agency that he would be available for questioning on January 31 at 1 PM in Ranchi. The meeting in Ranchi, proposed at the CM House, aims to strategize over the current political situation and the ED's planned questioning of Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Opposition leader Nishikant Dubey suggests that the CM has called allied MLAs to reach Ranchi, hinting at the possibility of Kalpana Soren being appointed as the Chief Minister.