‘Untraceable’ Hemant Soren Appears In Ranchi; Wife & Odisha Native Kalpana Soren Next Jharkhand CM?

Ranchi: After remaining ‘untraceable’ for 30 hours amid talks of his possible arrest in an alleged land scam, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren was seen coming out of his official residence after a meeting of MLAs of the ruling coalition on Tuesday.

Interestingly, Hemant Soren’s wife, Kalpana, was also present in the meeting.

This came a day after BJP leader Nishikant Dubey claimed that Hemant Soren’s wife might replace him as the chief minister of Jharkhand, coinciding with a 13-hour search by Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials at the JMM leader’s 5/1 Shanti Niketan residence in south Delhi in connection with the money laundering investigation.

Sarfaraz Ahmed, an MLA of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), has resigned, reportedly to pave the way for Kalpana to contest election from Gandey.

In a letter dated January 29, Soren has also informed the ED that he would appear for questioning at his residence at 1 pm on January 31.

According to India Today, the ED has amassed compelling evidence against Soren, implicating him in a land case, illegal mining, and coal mining in the state, and his arrest is imminent. The report further said that there is documentary evidence to link Soren with benami properties bought using proceeds of crime.

ABOUT KALPANA SOREN

Kalpana originally hails from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj, the home district of President Droupadi Murmu. She got married to Soren on February 7, 2006. The couple has two children — Nikhil and Ansh. Her family still lives in Mayurbhanj.

Years ago, when mediapersons asked her about the possibilities of joining politics, Kalpana had said she was busy handling the domestic responsibilities. “I am happy doing that,” she had said.

The 43-year-old holds an MBA and a masters in engineering degrees.