Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren will appear before Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday in connection with the Defence land scam. Hemant Soren arrived in Ranchi on Tuesday (January 30) after ED conducted raids at his residence in Delhi. The Jharkhand CM has been 'missing' for nearly 40 hours, claimed ED. Hemant Soren has assured ED that he will appear before ED for questioning today and there are speculations that he might be arrested.
Under the circumstances of Hemant Soren's arrest, there are reports that his wife Kalpana Soren could be appointed as the Chief Minister of the state. BJP leader Nishikant Dubey said that the Jharkhand CM might follow the path of Lalu Prasad Yadav and appoint his wife as the Chief Minister after his arrest. Lalu Prasad appointed Rabri Devi as Bihar CM after his arrest in 1996.
Who is Kalpana Soren?
Kalpana Soren is the wife of current Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and is highly educated. She has completed her graduation in engineering and has further pursued MBA. She also runs an educational institution and also owns three commercial buildings in the state. Her father is a businessman and her mother is a homemaker.
Marriage to Hemant Soren, kids and business
Kalpana got married to Hemant Soren on February 7, 2006. The couple have two sons named Nikhil Soren and Ansh Soren. Kalpana herself has been involved in business and also does charity works. She also runs a school adn is also involved in organic farming. Kalpana Soren has three commercial buildings valued at around Rs 5 crore in the state. She is also associated with women and child development programs.
Political career
Kalpana Soren is not associated with politics and her family members are also involved in politics. Kalpana Soren was accused of taking advantage of her husband for improper allocation of plots for her business. These allegations were levelled against her by former Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das. He alleged that Hemant Soren was misusing his powers to acquire land allocated for the welfare of tribals.
Speculations fuelled after resignation of leader in Jamtara
A prominent leader and legislator from Jamtara resigned and vacated his seat, fuelling speculations that she might be appointed as the Chief Minister of the state after the arrest of Hemant Soren. It is being said that Hemant Soren might have orchestrated the vacancy for his wife to become the Chief Minister within a period of six months of assuming office.
