It appears that the JMM will not only return to power but also improve its results in 2019.
New Delhi:
For Hemant Soren, the beginning and end of 2024 couldn't have been more different.
Less than a month into the year, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate in a land scam case and had made him resign as Jharkhand Chief Minister before his arrest. Now, with a month left in the year, Mr. Soren has emerged as the architect of a resounding victory that will see the INDIA Alliance remain in power in the state and secure a second consecutive term as prime minister.
The JMM leader also suffered several other setbacks in between.
After Mr Soren's arrest on January 31, his sister-in-law, Sita Soren – wife of his late brother Durga Soren – joined the BJP in March. Miffed over alleged attempts to appoint Soren's wife Kalpana as chief minister in his absence, she was expelled from the JMM in May for 'anti-party' activities.
The former chief minister was subsequently released on bail by the Jharkhand High Court in June, five months after his arrest. The court ruled that, at first glancehe was not guilty and was not likely to commit a similar offence, noting that both bail conditions under the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act had been met.
Champai Soren – a close aide of JMM chief Shibu Soren and widely seen as the party's number three – was appointed chief minister in Hemant Soren's absence. However, problems began to arise when the party asked him to resign in July after Mr Soren's release.
“When the leadership changed, I was given the responsibility. You know the order of events. After Hemant Soren came back, we (the coalition) elected him as our leader and I resigned. I follow the decision of the coalition,” an upset Champai Soren had said after resigning in July.
A month later, he joined the BJP, claiming he was “humiliated and insulted” and wanted to bring justice to the people. The BJP also accused the JMM-Congress alliance of allowing 'infiltration' into the state, an issue that seemed to be gaining traction among voters.
Despite all this, and some seat-sharing challenges with allies like the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Mr. Soren ensured his party improved its numbers this year to a projected 33 in the 81-member Assembly, up from 30 in 2019. Good performance of the Congress, RJD and CPI (ML) has taken the ruling coalition's tally to 55, while the BJP-led alliance is only 25 seats ahead.