Jharkhand Crisis: Know Likely CM Kalpana Soren’s Odisha Connection

Bhubaneswar: After President Droupadi Murmu, another tribal woman from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj is set to occupy high office of a state. This time, the action is played out in Jharkhand.

With Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren facing disqualification as an MLA in an ‘office of profit’ case, his wife Kalpana Soren from Mayurbhanj is tipped to succeed him. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led ruling coalition in the state is on a sticky wicket, awaiting Governor Ramesh Bais’ decision on disqualifying Hemant as an MLA in the case.

If Hemant faces the axe, Kalpana is almost certain to be next chief minister of Jharkhand. A greenhorn in politics, few people in political circle know Kalpana as she keeps herself away from the political limelight.

Belonging to Tentala village of Bahalda block in Mayurbhanj district, she was born in 1976 in Ranchi where her father Ampa Murmu, a retired defence personnel, was posted at the time.

Eldest daughter of the family, Kalpana had her schooling at the Kendriya Vidyalaya in Baripada, the district headquarters of Mayurbhanj. A sincere student, she got her BTech from an institute in Bhubaneswar and then MBA degree. She got married to Hemant according to Santhal rituals on February 7, 2006. They have two children.

Following her marriage, the daughter-in-law of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren has been running a business. She has also kept herself devoted to social activities and runs a school. She is a regular in programmes on women empowerment and children welfare.

She was embroiled in controversy when former chief minister and BJP leader Raghubar Das alleged that Hemant misused his power to allot a plot for his wife’s business. Kalpana was allegedly allotted 11 acre of land from the plot pool created for the tribals to start industrial ventures.