Rebellion in Soren family? JMM MLAs divided over support to Hemant's wife Kalpana for CM, claims BJP MP

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren is facing the threat of arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). If Soren is arrested, his wife Kalpana Soren may become the next chief minister of Jharkhand. India Today reported that Hemant Soren has secured the signatures of the JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) MLAs on two blank papers. These documents are letters of support for two potential candidates - Kalpana Soren, and Champai Soren - for the chief minister's post.

However, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Wednesday claimed that a rebellion has broken out in Soren's house over the chief minister's post in the state. He said 18 out of 29 MLAs are not in favour of Soren's wife Kalpana. "18 MLAs of JMM want Basant Soren to be the chief minister," he said while speaking to news agency ANI. Basant, the brother of Heman Soren, is a sitting MLA from Dumka. 

Also read: ED to arrest Hemant Soren today? JMM readies 2 letters of support for next CM: Sources

India Today reported that Sita Soren, wife of Hemant's elder brother Durga Soren who died in 2009, has also emerged as a challenger for the chief minister's post.

In the 81-member House, the ruling coalition partners have 49 MLAs. Soren's JMM has 29, Congress has 16, and NCP, Left, and RJD have one seat each.   

Of the 49 coalition MLAs, 35 are said to have attended the meeting held on Tuesday. The rest were believed to be backing Sita Soren against the JMM's plan to make Kalpana the next chief minister, the reports said. Local media reports say that Sita Soren, sitting JMM MLA from the Jama assembly seat, has claimed to be the inheritor of the legacy of party chief Shibu Soren and her late husband Durga Soren.

"I am the elder daughter-in-law of the Soren family and my husband had agitated for the creation of Jharkhand for a very long time. I had regarded Hemant Soren, the heir, not someone else," Sita Soren was quoted as saying on the plan to put Kalpana Soren in the chief minister's post.

In April 2022, Sita Soren had targted the chief minister saying the government had been ineffective in curbing the "loot of land" in the mineral-rich state.

"The vision of Guruji (Shibu Soren, JMM supremo) and my husband, Jal, Jungle, Jameen (water, forest and land), is being destroyed," Sita Soren had alleged. "Corrupt officers are being shielded. The people had hopes from our government, but now they are disappointed.” 

Sita Soren also met the Jharkhand Governor to submit a memorandum to seek action against a mining firm in Jharkhand's Chatra. She claimed that forests were being unlawfully grabbed in Jharkhand. 

Two of Sita Soren's daughters - Rajshree and Jayshree Soren - also joined their mother in taking on the JMM government. They floated Durga Soren Sena, on the Vijayadashami of 2021, with "an aim of fighting corruption, displacement and plunder in Jharkhand". 

(With inputs from Sushim Mukul)