It’s election season in Jharkhand, where Chief Minister Hemant Soren is looking to retain power in alliance with the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The election caps a chaotic year for the state — Soren was arrested in January in a money laundering case stemming from alleged land fraud. When he was released in June, his substitute CM — Champai Soren — was asked to resign, a move that upset the latter and pushed him towards the Opposition BJP.
The ruling Mahagathbandhan of the state is trying to project Soren’s arrest as proof of the Modi government and the BJP’s “anti-tribal” attitude, and this rhetoric is bound to find pride of place in their campaign.
Here, ABPLive takes a peek at the life and political journey of Hemant Soren, 49, who is the son of Rajya Sabha MP and former Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren, and has often been described as a reluctant politician.
- Hemant Soren was born on August 10, 1975, in Nemra village near Hazaribagh. After completing his intermediate from Patna High School, he joined Birla Institute of Technology Mesra in Ranchi, but dropped out, according to a PTI report.
- He loves badminton, bicycles and books.
- He served as a Rajya Sabha MP from 2009 to 2010 before resigning to focus on state politics.
- In 2013, he became Jharkhand’s youngest chief minister, with the support of the Congress and the RJD. But was voted out in the 2014 election.
- Since his jail stint, Hemant Soren has been seen fashioning his appearance in the mould of his father — apart from the long beard, he is often seen in a kurta-pyjama with a ‘gamcha’ around his neck. This transformation is seen as a deliberate attempt to project himself as a “reflection” of Shibu Soren, who is a deeply respected figure among Jharkhand tribals for his efforts towards the creation of the state.
Electios for the 81-seat Jharkhand assembly will be held in two phases — on November 13 and November 20 — with results scheduled for November 23.