NEW DELHI: Five months ago when the Enforcement Directorate moved to arrest Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, he swiftly resigned from the post, making way for Champai Soren for the post. The few days saw his wife Kalpana in the forefront, fighting for her husband’s release, delivering messages of her husband from jail.
Cut to now, Soren is back as the chief minister of Jharkhand once again as he takes oath for the third time on Thursday after being released by high court on June 28 in a money laundering case.
Soren who became Jharkhand’s youngest chief minister at 38 was reportedly not the first choice of JMM supremo Shibu Soren as his successor, however the untimely death of his elder brother Durga Soren in 2009 established him as an important face of JMM.
Soren made his political debut as a Rajya Sabha member in 2009, however he soon resigned in 2010 to assume the role of deputy chief minister in the BJP-led Arjun Munda government in Jharkhand. However, president’s rule was imposed two years later after the collapse of the government.
He later went on to become the state’s youngest chief minister in 2013 with the support of the Congress and the RJD. However, his government was toppled a year later, as the BJP seized power in 2014, and Raghubar Das became the chief minister. Soren then took on the role of the leader of the opposition.
Soren, notably in 2016 led a agitation against the government when BJP-led government attempted to amend the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act to allow leasing out of tribal land for non-agricultural purposes.
He later came back to power in 2019, with support of Congress and RJD, with JMM securing 30 assembly seats out of 81.
Meanwhile he faced the risk of disqualification as an MLA due to allegations of a mining lease renewal after he became the chief minister in 2022. The same year, three Congress MLAs from the state were caught with nearly Rs 49 lakh in cash in West Bengal, which the Soren-led ruling coalition alleged was part of an attempt by the BJP to topple the government.
Soren, throughout his political journey, has emerged as a strong advocate for the tribal community in the state. He has focused on social welfare initiatives, such as the ‘Apke Adhikar, Apki Sarkar, Apke Dwar’ program, which ensures doorstep delivery of services, and the expansion of the state government’s pension scheme. He has also been a vocal proponent of ensuring that the economic benefits of mining activities in the state reach the tribal population.
“How long will you oppress me, how long will you stop me. We are tribals, we are like seeds, the more you bury it in the ground, it will sprout and become a banyan tree,” Soren said in a post on X .
Cut to now, Soren is back as the chief minister of Jharkhand once again as he takes oath for the third time on Thursday after being released by high court on June 28 in a money laundering case.
Soren who became Jharkhand’s youngest chief minister at 38 was reportedly not the first choice of JMM supremo Shibu Soren as his successor, however the untimely death of his elder brother Durga Soren in 2009 established him as an important face of JMM.
Soren made his political debut as a Rajya Sabha member in 2009, however he soon resigned in 2010 to assume the role of deputy chief minister in the BJP-led Arjun Munda government in Jharkhand. However, president’s rule was imposed two years later after the collapse of the government.
He later went on to become the state’s youngest chief minister in 2013 with the support of the Congress and the RJD. However, his government was toppled a year later, as the BJP seized power in 2014, and Raghubar Das became the chief minister. Soren then took on the role of the leader of the opposition.
Soren, notably in 2016 led a agitation against the government when BJP-led government attempted to amend the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act to allow leasing out of tribal land for non-agricultural purposes.
He later came back to power in 2019, with support of Congress and RJD, with JMM securing 30 assembly seats out of 81.
Meanwhile he faced the risk of disqualification as an MLA due to allegations of a mining lease renewal after he became the chief minister in 2022. The same year, three Congress MLAs from the state were caught with nearly Rs 49 lakh in cash in West Bengal, which the Soren-led ruling coalition alleged was part of an attempt by the BJP to topple the government.
Soren, throughout his political journey, has emerged as a strong advocate for the tribal community in the state. He has focused on social welfare initiatives, such as the ‘Apke Adhikar, Apki Sarkar, Apke Dwar’ program, which ensures doorstep delivery of services, and the expansion of the state government’s pension scheme. He has also been a vocal proponent of ensuring that the economic benefits of mining activities in the state reach the tribal population.
“How long will you oppress me, how long will you stop me. We are tribals, we are like seeds, the more you bury it in the ground, it will sprout and become a banyan tree,” Soren said in a post on X .
