Kalpana Murmu Soren is no stranger to politics but has shunned the stage, till now. Now, she promises “fascist forces” will be given a befitting reply by the people of Jharkhand.
Kalpana, wife of former chief minister and JMM executive president Hemant Soren, filed her nomination for the Gandey bypoll at the Giridih district collectorate last month (April 29). Accompanied by father-in-law Shibu Soren and chief minister Champai Soren, as she spoke to reporters later, the 48-year-old dropped enough hints that her husband’s arrest will not disturb their party’s preparation for the elections in the state.
“Fascist forces might have put my husband in jail as part of a conspiracy but they have failed to confine his thoughts, which is present in the hearts of every Jharkhandi, and they will give a befitting reply to such forces in the bypoll and the Lok Sabha polls.”
The Gandey bypoll is on May 20, the same day as three of Jharkhand’s Lok Sabha seats — Chatra, Koderma and Hazaribagh — also vote.
The BJP has pitted Dilip Verma against Kalpana in the byelection, necessitated by the resignation of sitting MLA Sarfaraz Ahmed (JMM) last December. Ahmed was nominated to the Rajya Sabha earlier this year.
Born in Kapurthala, Punjab, where her father was posted as an army subedar, Kalpana is a native of Bahalda in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.
Kalpana, who has completed her schooling from Kendriya Vidyalayas in different parts of the country as and where her father was posted, has BTech and MBA degrees from Bhubaneswar institutions. She got married to Hemant on February 7, 2006. So long, she had kept a distance from active politics, looking after the home, two sons — Nikhil, studying in Class IX, and Class V student Ansh — and a playschool that she runs in Bariatu, Ranchi.
She, however, took the plunge with a speech on JMM’s foundation day on March 4 in Giridih. Gandey is in Giridih district but falls under the Koderma Lok Sabha constituency.
“She used to accompany Hemantji to public functions but remained aloof from active politics. She did, however, used to advise Hemantji in difficult times, especially in 2022 when it became evident that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was hell-bent on arresting him,” said a senior JMM leader in Ranchi, who is close to party patriarch Shibu Soren, as well as Hemant.
“She had been content with her playschool and looking after the studies of her sons. As it became evident in January that ED would arrest Hemant on alleged money-laundering charges pertaining to land scam, she was mentally prepared by Hemantji to enter politics.
“Ever since her debut on March 4 in Giridih, she has impressed one and all with her speeches and her ability to connect with the masses. She was also impressive at the INDIA bloc-managed Ulgulan Nyay Maharally in Ranchi earlier in April, where she shared the stage with Sunita Kejriwal (Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife),” added the JMM leader.
Kejriwal, too, was in jail then but has since been released on interim bail.
It was Kalpana, the leader said, who coined the slogan ‘Jail ka tala tootega, Hemant Soren chhutega’.
“She said it before a close group of JMM party workers and this was put on the JMM social media handles, becoming an instant hit along with the slogan ‘Jharkhand nahi jhukega’. This slogan is now raised at every party meeting across the state.”
JMM Giridih MLA Sudivya Kumar Sonu, party spokesperson, said Kalpana has been able to attract women voters.
“She is well versed in Santhali, Hindi, English and Odiya and can converse with people in different languages. She has been able to enhance JMM’s popularity among non-tribal women voters. She carefully articulates our government’s welfare measures, undertaken in the last four years, and the promises to be fulfilled in the last few months ahead of the Assembly polls later this year,” said Sudivya.
Gandey votes on May 20