When Hemant Soren was arrested in January on allegations of land fraud, his political future looked uncertain. After all, no tribal chief minister of Jharkhand had completed a full tenure. However, five months later, the 49-year-old emerged from Ranchi's Birsa Munda Jail a transformed man. Sporting a thick, greying beard and long hair, he bore a striking resemblance to his father, Shibu Soren, the patriarch of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. The look gave him gravitas and public sympathy, reaffirming the feeling that imprisoning popular leaders often strengthens their appeal.
After getting bail in July, Soren used his time well, addressing more than 100 rallies even as the BJP carpet-bombed Jharkhand with rallies from its top leaders and chief ministers. The presence of his wife, Kalpana, who had made an impressive electoral debut in a bypoll in May, gave Soren an additional boost. The results of the assembly polls in November cemented his image as a strong tribal leader.
Soren secured a historic second term, becoming the longest-serving chief minister of the mineral-rich state since its formation in 2000. The JMM-led alliance surpassed its 2019 performance, winning 56—the JMM won 34, the Congress 16, the Rashtriya Janata Dal four and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) two—of the 81 seats.
The saving grace for the BJP was that it retained its voting percentage of more than 33 per cent despite the number of seats dropping from 25 to 21. Its allies—the AJSU Party, the Janata Dal (United) and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas)—won one seat each.
Denne historien er fra December 08, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 08, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
