The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha on Thursday nominated seasoned politician Nalin Soren for the Dumka Lok Sabha seat, ending speculation about jailed chief minister Hemant Soren contesting from the constituency.
Nalin, five-term MLA from Shikaripara, is a staunch loyalist of party patriarch and Hemant’s father Shibu Soren. He will be contesting against Hemant’s eldest sister-in-law and three-time Jama MLA Sita Soren, who quit the JMM for the BJP last month saying she was “isolated” and “ignored” in the party.
After the BJP fielded Sita from Dumka, a JMM stronghold at the heart of Santhal Pargana, there was speculation that Hemant, MLA from Barhait, would take her on from behind bars. But sources on Thursday said the party had decided that a family fight would send out “a wrong message”.
The decision was taken after a meeting on Thursday among chief minister Champai Soren, state Congress president Rajesh Thakur, Dumka MLA and cabinet minister Basant Soren (Shibu’s youngest son) and Hemant at a Ranchi jail.
Hemant was arrested on January 31 by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.
JMM central general secretary Vinod Kumar Pandey issued a release on Thursday evening announcing the candidatures of Nalin and three-time Tundi MLA Mathura Prasad Mahato, who has been fielded from Giridih.
The release said candidates for the other constituencies would be announced soon. The JMM, an ally of the Congress, RJD and some other parties, is expected to contest from 5 of the state’s 14 Lok Sabha seats.
“We have also been given Jamshedpur, Singhbhum (ST) and Rajmahal (ST) seats. However, talks are on with the Congress for a few more seats. Once this is finalised, the remaining candidates will be announced,” a Ranchi-based member of the JMM central committee said.
The JMM had just one MP in the outgoing Lok Sabha: Vijay Hansda from Rajmahal.
On Nalin’s candidature, the senior leader said: “Nalin Soren has been loyal to Shibu Soren for years. He has a clean image and is a seasoned campaigner. His wife Joyce Besra is chairperson of the Dumka zilla parishad and wields good influence among zilla parishad members across the constituency. All this tilted the scales in Nalin
Soren’s favour.”
He added: “Pitting someone from Shibu Soren’s family against his eldest daughter-in-law would have sent out a wrong message. We did not want to play into the BJP’s hands.”
JMM sources said that outgoing Dumka MP Sunil Soren of the BJP, re-nominated from Dumka in the first list last month but withdrawn after Sita joined the party, was “annoyed” and had skipped his party’s election meeting.
“Sunil Soren defeated Shibu Soren in 2019 and has a considerable base in Dumka. His disgruntlement would help our cause in what is likely to be a close fight,” a JMM source said.
Dumka votes on June 1.
Mahato has been nominated for Giridih because he is influential among local Mahato (Kurmi) voters.
“Kurmis make up nearly 15 per cent of the Giridih electorate along with 15 per cent minorities and 15 per cent tribal voters,” a JMM strategist in Ranchi said.
“If we can win over a sizeable chunk of Kurmi voters, it can help us wrest the seat with the support of the tribal and minority voters.”
Giridih votes on May 25 and will witness a straight fight between Mahato and the incumbent MP from Ajsu (an NDA constituent), Chandra Prakash Choudhary.
Assembly elections in Jharkhand will be due late this year.
