From Sorens To Marandis: Know About The Bigwigs Of Jharkhand Elections

This time the primary fight was between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

The NDA banked on the narratives of 'infiltration from Bangladesh', corruption of leaders including Chief Minister Hemant Soren who is out on bail, and the issue of Hindutva.

On the other hand, the ruling dispensation tried to woo voters by promising welfare schemes and charging the BJP with spending Rs 500 crore in 'malicious campaigns' against the CM.

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In a close contest in the 2019 assembly elections, JMM bagged 30 seats and the BJP securing 25, down from 37 in 2014. The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance won a comfortable majority with 47 seats.

Ahead of the elections in Jharkhand, several political heavyweights including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge campaigned for their respective parties and corresponding candidates. Here's a look at the key candidates who contested the assembly polls.

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Hemant Soren

Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM's Barhait constituency candidate Hemant Soren served as the state's 5th chief minister from 2019 to 2024 and from 2013 to 2014. Besides, Soren also is the working president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

Soren was also the leader of the opposition in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly from 2014 to 2019 and a member of the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand from 2009 to 2010.

He served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Jharkhand from 2010 to 2013.

Soren was born to Roopi and Shibu Soren, former Jharkhand Chief Minister and founder-president of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in Nemara, Jharkhand's (then Bihar) Ramgarh district on 10 August 1975.

According to the affidavit filed before the Election Commission, Hemant finished his Intermediate from Patna High School. Later he signed up for Mechanical Engineering at BIT Mesra, Ranchi, but dropped out.

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In 2019, Soren was awarded the Champions of Change Award, for his prominent work for Dumka and Barhait constituency in the Jharkhand state. The honour was given by Shri Pranab Mukherjee at Vigyan Bhavan New Delhi on 20 January 2020.

The chief minister is currently being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a land scam case. ED arrested him on 31 January 2024 following which he gave his resignation and Champai Soren was appointed as the caretaker chief minister.

Kalpana Soren

JMM this year fielded CM Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana Soren in Gandey constituency. Hailing from a non-political background, Kalpana embarked on her political journey on March 4 this year during the 51st Foundation Day celebration of the JMM in Giridih.

He political journey started on the backdrop of Hemant Soren's attest by the ED in connection to a land scam case.

Kalpana originally hails from Odisha's Mayurbhanj district. Kalpana's father is known to be a businessman while her mother is a homemaker. Born in Ranchi in 1946, Kalpana pursued engineering and an MBA.

On February 7, 2006, Kalpana got married to Hemant Soren and they now have two children- Nikhil and Ansh.

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Champai Soren

The former caretaker chief minister of Jharkhand and JMM turncoat Champai Soren this time contested the election from Seraikella seat with a BJP ticket. Champai Soren on February 2, 2024 became the 7th chief minister of Jharkhand following the arrest of Hemant Soren by the ED.

Prior to becoming the state head, 67-year-old Champai Soren was serving as the Cabinet Minister of Transport, Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Caste and Backward class welfare in the cabinet of the 2nd Hemant Soren ministry.

Soren, who embarked on his political career in 1990s, played a significant role creating the state of Jharkhand. Initially he worked with JMM chief Shibu Soren before his political career started taking off following his byelection victory in 1991 as an independent candidate from Saraikella.

Champai Soren is a five-time MLA from Seraikella seat from 1995 to 2000 (11th Bihar Assembly), 2005 to 2009 (2nd Jharkhand Assembly), 2009 to 2014 (3rd Jharkhand Assembly), 2014 to 2019 (4th Jharkhand Assembly), 2019 to 2024 (5th Jharkhand Assembly).

As per reports, Champai received his early education from a government school and studied till the 10th grade.

Sita Soren

The BJP fielded JMM turncoat Sita Soren alias Sita Murmu in Jamtara. The former JMM leader was Sita was first elected as the MLA from Jama in 2009. Soon after, she was appointed as JMM's National General Secretary. Back in 2014 and 2019, she won the Jharkhand Legislative Elections from Jama.

Sita Soren is Hemant Soren's sister-in-law and the widow of his elder brother Durga Soren. 

JMM supremo Shibu Soren's daughter-in-law Sita Soren has been accused of receiving money from RK Agarwal in the 2012 Rajya Sabha elections. Over rupees 2 crore were seized from her residence on the day of the 2012 elections. Sita even served seven months in jail over corruption charges and is out on bail now.

In her resignation letter to the Jharkhand Assembly speaker while changing her sides in 2024, Sita Soren said that it was a matter of morality for her. She has also claimed that she was not being given her “due respect”. 

Babulal Soren

BJP fielded ex-CM Champai Soren's son Babulal Soren in the Ghatsila assembly seat. Babulal has been active in the constituency doing social activities for a couple of years.

Irfan Ansari

Congress MLA Irfan Ansari was fielded in Jamtara which is traditionally believed to be a Congress bastion. Currently Ansari serves as a member of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, representing the Jamtara constituency. Earlier in 2014 and 2019, Ansari successfully held his seat.

Ansari is known for addressing the local issues and promoting regional development. He is the current cabinet minister for the Minister of Rural Development, Minister of Rural Works and Minister of Panchayati Raj in Government of Jharkhand.

Ansari is the son of INC leader and 5-time MLA Furqan Ansari who represented Jamtara multiple times in the past.

Mahua Maji

JMM fielded Dr Mahua Maji in Ranchi this time. Maji is a Member of Parliament (MP) from JMM in the 17th Rajya Sabha representing Jharkhand. Maji was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha in June 2022. However, she had contested the Ranchi Assembly seat unsuccessfully in 2014 and 2019.

Born on December 10, 1964, Maji holds a PhD in sociology. Maji also served as the chairperson of the Jharkhand State Commission for Women and was the former president of the JMM's women's wing.

She is also a member of the Parliamentarians’ Group for Clean Air.

Jairam Mahto

In an apparent electoral battle between the BJP and JMM, the 29-year-old rising OBC leader Jairam Mahto representing Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JKLM) emerged as a rising force in the Kudmi Mahto community. He contested the assembly election from Dumri. Mahto is also popularly known by the sobriquet 'Tiger'.

Mahto was born in Dhanbad’s Maantand village in 1995. His father was an active member in the movement for statehood for Jharkhand.

In June 2023, Jairam alongside other student leaders, formed the Jharkhandi Bhasha Sangharsh Khatian Samiti as a reaction to a government notification in end 2021 that states inclusion of Magahi, Bhojpuri and Angika etc as regional languages in the district-level selection exams held by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission. Jairam and others considered the inclusion as an infringement on the rights of Adivasis and Moolvasis. 

In the Lok Sabha elections this year—when the formal launch of his political party was still awaited, Jairam and his independent candidates had secured a substantial vote-share. In the Giridih seat, Mahto garnered 347,000 votes, trailing the JMM’s Mathura Prasad Mahto by 23,000 votes.

Lois Marandi

JMM fielded former BJP legislator Lois Marandi in the Jama seat. In 2014, she defeated Hemant Soren by a margin of 5,262 votes in Dumka but lost to him in 2019 by around 13,000 votes.

She lost the 2020 by-election as well to JMM's Basant Soren as the CM vacated the seat to retain Barhait.

Upon not getting a poll ticket, Marandi defected from the BJP and joined the JMM on October 21 along with two other former legislators - Kunal Sarangi and Lakshman Tudu.

Babulal Marandi

Jharkhand's first chief minister Babulal Marandi contested the elections from the Dhanwar constituency. Since Marandi 2023, Marandi has been serving as BJP's Jharkhand unit president. Earlier, he was also a leader of the Legislature Party of BJP in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly.

Marandi founded Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), which he later merged with BJP. He was the Member of Parliament in 12th, 13th 14th and 15th Lok Sabha from Jharkhand.

He also served as the Union State Minister (MoS) for Forests & Environment of India in the BJP – led National Democratic Alliance Government in 1998 to 2000. He was appointed as Jharkhand BJP president on

Being a post-graduate in Geography from  Ranchi University, he worked as a teacher in a village primary school for a year before giving up the job to work for the saffron party.