HEMANT SOREN'S WIFE KALPANA FILES NOMINATION AS JMM CANDIDATE FROM GANDEY ASSEMBLY SEAT

RANCHI: Jailed Jharkhand ex-CM Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana on Monday filed her nomination as the JMM candidate from Gandey assembly seat in the state. Bypoll to the seat is scheduled on May 20 along with the parliamentary elections in the state.

The seat in Giridih district fell vacant following the resignation of JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad.

Kalpana, 48, was accompanied by Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren, brother-in-law Basant Soren and Ministers Alamgir Alam and Satyanand Bhokta, among others, when she filed her papers.

Kalpana, a homemaker with MTech and MBA qualifications, completed her school education from Baripada in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district and obtained her engineering and MBA degrees from separate institutions in Bhubaneswar.

Her political journey began at the 51st foundation day celebration of the JMM in Giridih district on March 4, when she claimed that a conspiracy had been orchestrated by opponents ever since the Hemant Soren-led coalition government came to power in 2019 and that Jharkhand will give a befitting reply to the forces who put her husband behind the bars.

Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam on January 31.

After the ruling JMM-led alliance proved its majority on February 5 and her husband made a fiery speech in the assembly, Kalpana had taken to X to announce that the "fight against injustice and oppression will continue".

Previously considered a frontrunner for the position of chief minister before facing opposition from sister-in-law Sita Soren, she had declared, "I have fought, and I will continue to fight! We have won, and we will win!"

Sita had questioned Kalpana's political inexperience and objected to her potential candidacy.

Speculations regarding Kalpana's candidacy arose following the resignation of JMM's Gandey MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad in December, with the BJP claiming it was to facilitate Kalpana's candidacy in case of ED summonses against her husband.

Hemant had, however, dismissed rumours of Kalpana contesting from Gandey, labeling it as BJP's fabrication.