NEW DELHI: Kalpana Soren, wife of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, secured a decisive victory in the Gandey seat during the 2024 assembly by-election. She defeated BJPโs Muniya Devi with 109,827 votes against Deviโs 82,678. This marks a significant win for the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), as the constituencyโs outcome is crucial for maintaining the ruling allianceโs influence in the region.
Kalpana, a homemaker turned politician, entered public life following Hemant Sorenโs arrest in January 2024 in a land-related case. Her transition from private life to politics has been closely watched, with this victory solidifying her position within the JMM.
Muniya Devi, Kalpanaโs opponent, is relatively new to mainstream politics but brings grassroots experience. A member of the Kushwaha community, she served as District Council president and joined the BJP in 2023 in a ceremony attended by party president J.P. Nadda. This election marked her debut in Assembly-level politics.
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The Gandey seat has historically been a JMM stronghold. In 2019, Dr Sarfaraz Ahmad of the JMM won the constituency with 65,023 votes, defeating BJPโs Jai Prakash Verma by a significant margin. Kalpanaโs victory further strengthens the partyโs position in the region.
The 2024 Jharkhand Assembly elections saw robust voter participation, with a statewide turnout of 68.01% and Gandey recording an impressive 73.36%. Voting concluded smoothly from 7 am to 6 pm, underscoring the effective implementation of electoral protocols.
Besides Kalpana and Devi, other notable candidates included Md Kausar Azad (BSP), Md. Arif Uddin (AVP), Arjun Baitha (ASP-KR), Kameshwar Prasad Saw (LAP), and Mohammad Kudus Ansari (RSD), though none posed significant competition.
Kalpana Sorenโs victory is a boost for the JMM as it navigates challenging political waters, with the BJP continuing to make inroads in Jharkhand.
