Kalpana Soren is JMM pick for Gandey assembly seat in bypoll

Gandey assembly bypoll has been necessitated after JMM legislator Sarfaraz Ahmed relinquished his assembly membership on December 30, 2023, when the then CM Hemant Soren was facing an arrest by ED.

Kalpana Soren, wife of jailed former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, was on Thursday named by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) as its candidate for the May 20 bypoll for Gandey assembly seat in the state.

Kalpana Soren at a party workers' meeting at Gandey earlier this month. (ANI)

In her electoral debut, Kalpana, who has already been active in the assembly constituency for the past one month, will be pitted against Dilip Verma of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“As per directions from party chief Shibu Soren, Kalpana Murmu Soren has been chosen as the party candidate for the Gandey assembly bypoll,” JMM general secretary Vinod Pandey said.

JMM sources said she is likely to file her nomination on April 29.

Gandey assembly bypoll has been necessitated after JMM legislator Sarfaraz Ahmed relinquished his assembly membership on December 30, 2023, citing personal reasons. Gandey is a general category seat in Giridih district, while it is part of Koderma Lok Sabha constituency.

Ahmed had vacated the seat at a time when Hemant Soren, then the CM, was facing possible arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Transfer of power to Kalpana could have required for her to get elected for the assembly within six months. Since Kalpana is from Odisha, she could not have contested from any seat reserved for scheduled tribes, including Barhait represented by Hemant Soren.

After ED arrested Hemant Soren on January 30 this year, he named his transport chief minister Champai Soren as his successor.

Kalpana Soren who has already become face of the party and has been attending INDIA bloc rallies and other major programmes of the party.