In a development that will further fuel speculations, Kalpana Soren, wife of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, will be the JMM candidate from the Gandey Assembly seat which is going to by-polls. This has further fuelled speculations that she will take over the reign of Jharkhand as the Chief Minister replacing current CM Champai Soren, as claimed by BJP leader Nishikant Dubey. The seat will go to the polls on May 20 along with the parliamentary constituencies in the fifth phase.
Gandey seat fell vacant in January this year after sitting MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad of the ruling party resigned from the seat. At that time, Hemant Soren was facing an arrest by the Enforcement Directorate. Hemant Soren resigned before his arrest by the ED and proposed the name of Champai Soren as the next CM of the state. Since then, Kalpana Soren has taken to the battle field campaigning against her husband's arrest.
The JMM also fielded Sameer Mohanty from the Jamshedpur seat for the bypoll.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Chairperson Hemant Soren was arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in the land scam case in January. The probe is related to huge amounts of proceeds of crime generated by forging official records by showing 'fake sellers' and purchasers in the guise of forged or bogus documents to acquire huge parcels of land valued in crores.
