Kalpana grows in stature in no time

Kalpana Soren made her first public appearance on a political stage on March 4 this year, a little over a month after her husband and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate over money laundering charges linked to a land deal case.

- Joydeep Thakur

Since then, the 39-year-old has emerged as a firebrand leader of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). On Saturday, she won the assembly election from Gandey constituency in Giridih district, defeating her rival Muniya Devi of the Bharatiya Janata Party with a margin of 17,142 votes. She had earlier won a bypoll from the assembly seat in June. Her political rise, having started her journey while her husband was incarcerated, was prominently exhibited during the Lok Sabha elections this summer,