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Hemant Soren may have won the election, but implementing his electoral promises will not be easy

- Md Asghar Khan

“I SMEIN koee sandeh na rakhen—hamaaree ekata hee hamaara sabse bada hathiyaar hai. Hamen na vibhaajit kiya ja sakta hai, na hee shaant kiya ja sakta hai. Jab jab ve hamen peechhe dhakelate hain, ham aage badhate hain. Jab jab ve hamen shaant karana chaahate hain, hamaaree hool, ulagulaan, kraanti kee aavaaz aur prakhar hotee jaateehai, kyoonki ham jhaarakhandee hain, aur jhaarakhandee jhukate nahin hai.” (Let there be no doubt about it—our unity is our biggest weapon. We can neither be divided nor silenced. Whenever they push us back, we will move forward. Whenever they try to silence us, our chants of Hoolah, Ulgulan, Kranti (revolution) will become louder because we are Jharkhandis, and Jharkhandis do not bow down.)

These words were posted by Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on social media just two hours before taking oath as the 14th chief minister of the state in Ranchi on November 28, 2024. The essence of his words was a target on the Opposition and the feeling of overwhelming majority, tribalism, Jharkhandism and unity.

Over the 24 years since Jharkhand’s formation, there have been various political experiments. Governments have fallen and President’s Rule has been imposed several times. The state has been a subject of national discussion due to allegations of corruption and the government’s instability. However, the government that has been formed under Soren is considered to be the strongest.

Soren hopes to avoid the instability seen by previous governments, but his biggest challenge will be fulfilling the promises and unfinished tasks from his previous term. One of them is converting the bills, now with the Governor, into law. These bills were central to the electoral campaign of his party, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and helped strike a chord with a large section of the electorate.