Who is Kalpana Soren, who may become next Jharkhand CM?

Kalpana Soren, the wife of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, is speculated to become the next Chief Minister if her husband and current CM Hemant Soren gets arrested in an alleged land fraud case, reports say.

Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey claimed that Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana Soren was likely to replace him as the CM of the state.

In a post on X he wrote, “Hemant Soren ji has called his own, JMM, Congress and allied MLAs to reach Ranchi with their luggage and bags. According to the information, there is a proposal to make Kalpana Soren ji (Hemant Soren's wife) the Chief Minister.”

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will question Hemant Soren in connection with an alleged land fraud case, today, January 31, which opens the possibilities of his arrest and Kalpana becoming the CM.

The Jharkhand CM on Tuesday reportedly travelled to Ranchi and held meetings with his party and other alliance MLAs, while the ED has seized Rs 36 lakh, a BMW SUV and some "incriminating" documents after it searched his house in Delhi.

The legislators of the ruling JMM-led coalition partners in Jharkhand on Tuesday expressed solidarity with the Hemant Soren government at a meeting. They also signed a letter of support without any name as speculations are rife that the CM's wife Kalpana Soren will be handed over the reins. Kalpana Soren, who is not a legislator, attended a meeting of the lawmakers earlier in the day.

Kalpana Soren's possible ascension reminds of a similar move by Lalu Prasad Yadav, who made wife Rabri Devi the Chief Minister of Bihar when he was arrested.

The JMM also questioned the purpose of the visit of ED officials to Soren’s official residence in Delhi on Monday, when he was scheduled to face questioning by the central agency on January 31. The ED had questioned Soren on January 20 in connection with a land fraud case and had issued a fresh summons, asking him to confirm his availability for questioning on either January 29 or January 31.

While the Jharkhand political scenario changes today, JMM awaits for the new CM. Kalpana's family hails from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj; she was born in Ranchi in 1976.

She married Soren in February 2007. The couple has two children. She is involved in multiple business ventures including a private school. Even though she has a low-profile public life, she has been spotted at functions related to women and children empowerment.

She was in the headlines when former CM and BJP leader Raghubar Das alleged that CM Soren used his political influence to get his wife a piece of land for her business, allegedly from plots originally marked for tribals’ industrial initiatives.