In earlier conversations with Outlook India, both CM Hemant Soren and Kalpana Soren had highlighted the important of recognising the Adivasi community and working to uplift them. For the 2024 elections, the JMM power couple has emerged victorious, all due to the backing of the tribal communities in the state.
Even as the counting of votes in the Jharkhand Assembly elections continues, it is clear that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and its allies have retained control of the state. Both Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his wife Kalpana Soren are leading in respective constituencies.
As of 3 PM, JMM has secured three wins and leads in 31 seats. Congress, which is in alliance with JMM, has secured 17 leads. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which hoped to make gains in Jharkhand, is trailing with 21 leads.
Hemant Soren's JMM contested in 41 assembly seats, with the rest of the seats in the 81-seat Assembly covered by its its allies Congress (30 seats), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) (6), and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (4).
In a conversation with Outlook India Editor Chinki Sinha in 2022, Chief Minister Hemant Soren had highlighted the importance of recognising the Adivasi community; and two years later, he has once again been proven right.
"From the very beginning, this state has taken forward the issue of tribals. But for the first time, after our government came to power, in 2022 and 2023, we are witnessing this event,” Soren had said in the interview.
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Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana Soren has also emerged as a force of her own in Jharkhand politics, particularly after she helmed the parties campaign after Hemant Soren's arrest last year.
In conversation with Outlook's Abhik Bhattacharya, 'Kalpana Di' tapped into her life and how she emerged as a top player in Jharkhand politics.
"And when Hemant ji went to jail, I felt my responsibility has expanded from being a woman who is managing household to someone whose family consists the people of the state,” Kalpana Soren said while addressing a public gathering at Ghatkul earlier this year.
As she campaigned in Gandey constituency, Kalpana Soren asserted her gender identity and also tapped into the Adivasi community identity with her swift changes from Hindi to Santhali.