Kalpana Soren, JMM leader and the wife of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, is set to win the Gandey Assembly constituency. Kalpana is the sitting MLA from Gandey, having won the seat earlier this year in a bypoll necessitated by the resignation of JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad.
Located in Giridih district, Gandey Assembly constituency is a key rural seat with significant tribal influence. It is part of the Giridih Lok Sabha constituency and has a history of fluctuating political control since the formation of Jharkhand in 2000. The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has won the seat three times — in 2005, 2019, and 2024 (bypolls). The Congress captured the seat in 2009, while the BJP wrested it in 2014
This election, Kalpana Soren faces a tough fight against BJP's Muniya Devi and Md Aqueel Akhtar of the Jharkhand Kranti Loktantrik Morcha (JKLM).
Kalpana, who holds MTech and MBA degrees, is originally from Baripada in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, where she completed her schooling. She later pursued engineering and MBA studies at institutions in Bhubaneswar. Before entering politics, Kalpana was a homemaker.
Her political journey began at the JMM's 51st foundation day celebration in Giridih district on March 4 this year. During the event, Kalpana alleged that conspiracies had been orchestrated against her husband and his government since 2019. She claimed Jharkhand would give a “befitting reply” to forces attempting to destabilize the government, referring to her husband’s legal troubles.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 in connection with a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. The arrest was a major flashpoint in Jharkhand politics, intensifying the battle between the ruling coalition and the opposition BJP.
Kalpana Soren’s political credentials were solidified when she contested and won the Gandey bypoll on June 4, defeating BJP’s Dilip Kumar Verma by a margin of 27,149 votes. Her decisive victory strengthened the JMM’s position in the region.