Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren was sworn in as Jharkhand Chief Minister for the third term on July 4, 2024. He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan at the Raj Bhavan in Ranchi.
On Wednesday, Champai Soren resigned from the post of Chief Minister paving the way for his predecessor. Mr. Soren’s father and party supremo Shibu Soren, mother Rupi Soren and wife Kalpana Murmu Soren were present along with other leaders of the alliance partners. It was a simple ceremony at the Raj Bhavan in which no one took the oath of Cabinet Minister.
“Despite the political ups and downs, Champai Soren ji was running the government because I was in jail. I don’t want to discuss why I was in jail because the court’s order is already in the public domain. It is only because of the court’s order that I am out of jail and have resumed my work. Now I will work for the development of the state,” Hemant Soren said after taking oath.
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Before going to Raj Bhavan to take oath, he posted a message on social media X saying, “I was forced to step down from the post of Chief Minister after a conspiracy was hatched against me. They could not digest the fact that a tribal was leading the state. I have always struggled in my life and tried my level best to work for the people of Jharkhand. Once again, I am coming to serve you. We will pace up the developmental work in Jharkhand.”
Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on 31 January 2024, however before his arrest, he resigned from the post of Chief Minister and Champai Soren, close to the JMM family, was made the Chief Minister.
He won the legal battle when Jharkhand High Court granted him bail on June 28, 2024, and came out of jail. The outgoing Chief Minister Champai Soren congratulated Hemant Soren after his oath.
Hemant Soren inherited politics after the death of Shibu Soren’s elder son Durga Soren and played a pivotal role in JMM. For some time, he was also a Rajya Sabha member and Deputy Chief Minister of Jharkhand during the coalition government of Arjun Munda.
He was a student of BIT Mesra but he left his studies midway and entered into politics. Hemant Soren contested the Assembly elections for the first time in 2005 from the Dumka seat but lost to JMM rebel Stephen Marandi. However, in 2009, he became MLA for the first time.
Hemant Soren took charge of the State as CM for the first time in 2013 with the help of Congress, RJD and others. He became MLA for the second time from the Barhait Assembly of the Santhal Pargana region. In the 2014 Assembly elections, JMM became the second largest party and Hemant Soren was made the Leader of the Opposition.
After the results of the Assembly elections held in 2019, Mr. Soren on December 29, 2019, took oath as the Chief Minister of the State for the second time.
His wife Kalpana Murmu Soren entered into politics soon after he went to jail and during his jail time, she won a by-poll and emerged winner on the Gandey Assembly seat.
“It is a blessing of the people of Jharkhand and our party workers and off- course the order of the High Court that Hemant Soren ji is once again back as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand. We have less time and we will keep working for the State. He will pace up the work as son of Jharkhand,“ said Kalpana Murumi Soren after the oath.
Mr. Soren was born in Nemra, Ramgarh district of Bihar (now in Jharkhand). He has two brothers and a sister and his educational qualification is Intermediate from a school in Patna, Bihar.
JMM workers celebrated the occasion by bursting fire-crackers outside Raj Bhavan.
Reacting on the new government, Mr. Radhakrishnan said, “We go by the constitution but the constitution expects that we all have to address the problems of the poor people and that is what I am expecting from the new government.”
