Lok Sabha Polls 2024: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha announces Kalpana Soren's candidacy for Gandey bypoll

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has revealed its candidate for the upcoming bypoll in the Gandey assembly seat. Kalpana Soren, wife of the incarcerated former chief minister Hemant Soren, will be contesting in the election. The Gandey seat, situated in Giridih district, fell vacant following the resignation of JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad.

Kalpana Soren, a homemaker, boasts educational qualifications with both MTech and MBA degrees. She pursued her schooling in Baripada, Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, and furthered her engineering and MBA studies at various institutions in Bhubaneswar.

Her foray into politics was highlighted by a speech delivered at the JMM's 51st foundation day celebration in Giridih district on March 4. In her address, she accused her husband's opponents of hatching conspiracies against them since the formation of the Hemant Soren-led coalition government in 2019. She also affirmed that Jharkhand would retaliate against those responsible for her husband's imprisonment.


Hemant Soren was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 in relation to a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. The Gandey assembly bypoll is scheduled for May 20, coinciding with the state's parliamentary elections.