As soon as Hemant Soren took oath as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, days after he was released on bail, replacing incumbent Champai Soren, there were whispers in the political corridors of Ranchi that ‘all is not well’ for Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
While BJP leader and former CM Babulal Marandi accused Soren of practicing dynastic politics where ‘any other tribal leaders don’t have any space’, sources close to Champai say that the veteran leader has not taken the decision very lightly.
Hemant Soren got bail from Jharkhand High Court on June 28. Since he walked out of the jail, there have been political churnings that he would replace Champai Soren but it was not expected that he would do it so soon, note political observers. It was on January 31, ahead of his arrest by the ED that Soren deputed the senior leader from Kolhan region as his successor.
“At that point of time, he didn’t get the time to discuss things either with the legislative party or with the coalition partners Congress and RJD. But this time, when he came back, we got to know that the alliance partners wanted him to take over,” says senior JMM leader and Rajya Sabha member Mahua Manjhi.
The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance has been running the government since 2019 when Soren-led campaign dislodged Raghubar Das’s BJP government. Notably, the performance of the coalition in this Lok Sabha election is also unprecedented as they won 5 out of 14 seats. All of these five seats are ST-reserved. Senior journalists and political commentators think that sympathy over Soren’s arrest actually helped the coalition to sail through the parliamentary elections and they don’t want to lose the momentum. Jharkhand is going to Assembly polls later this year. JMM as has won three out of the five seats it contested in Lok Sabha elections, the party is hoping to gain much in the 28 ST-reserved seats among 80 assembly seats.
In the backdrop of this, will Soren’s decision to remove Champai affect the Assembly elections? The closest aides of the former CM Champai while speaking to Outlook said, “He is a veteran leader and he won’t ever do anything to harm the party. But he is definitely not happy with the decision. Why did they rush? It was just a matter of three months and after the elections, he (Hemant) could have got back his chair.” Interestingly, Champai is considered one of the party's founding members who started his journey with Shibu Soren. He was also a cabinet minister in Soren’s government.
“As a senior leader of the party, he always considered Hemant as his son and never had any intention to grab power. When Kalpana Soren became the main face of the INDIA bloc in the Loksabha elections, he supported her in whatever ways possible,” laments the aide on the condition of anonymity. Since Soren went to jail, his wife Kalpana Soren took up the responsibility of the party and as a popular orator, she soon became the face of the INDIA bloc in Jharkhand. She also fought the by-elections from the Gandey assembly constituency and won the seat comfortably. There are whispers that she would be inducted in the cabinet if the JMM coalition forms the government again in 2024. Champai Soren was found to accompany Kalpana in most of her rallies. The former CM personally held rallies in Gandey for her.
However, this is not the first instance when JMM in the recent past has allegedly sidelined the senior leadership. Prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, senior party leader and MLA Lobin Hembram had been denied a ticket and he fought as an independent candidate from Rajmahal constituency. Hembram was also brought into politics by Shibu Soren. Though he couldn’t make a mark as an independent, he continues to have a good hold on the ground. “We (Champai and I) were always together. He was doing quite well as the CM. I don’t know why did Hemant remove him the moment he was released. It is unjust,” says 73-year-old Hembram.
Champai during his short tenure increased the free unit of electricity from 125 units to 200 units. He also implemented a stipend for citizens aged between 21 and 49. “He was also trying to increase the amount of health insurance. Now, he has turned silent. He started his career when he didn’t even have a slipper to wear,” says another aide of Champai.
However, Babbar, who is very close to higher-ups of JMM says, “This was a timely decision and Champai da himself supported it. JMM successfully dodged Operation Lotus. BJP was trying to divide the alliance and was planning to train their guns from Champai da’s shoulder. But it was realised early and the decision was timely taken.”
Notably, the Kolhan region of Jharkhand, from where Champai belongs, has 14 seats. Though Hembram thinks this is going to impact the upcoming Assembly elections, JMM leaderships point out that they are together and would fight the BJP tooth and nail. “The assembly elections need a face and Soren is the one behind whom the allies want to rally. His popularity and sympathy would be the factor that would lead Mahagathbandhan to victory,” says Babbar.
