Ranchi: A glaring example of women power in Jharkhand Assembly elections political heirs for this year are not sons-in-law or wives alone but daughters-in-law. Across the state, about half a dozen constituencies have been perceiving the daughters-in-law of politicians who are willing to continue their clan’s political heritage — Sita & Kalpana are daughter in laws of former CM Shibu Soren and Purnima Das daughter in law of former CM Raghubar Das.
Among them, some are even previous politicians and some are overcoming the initial level of politics, but all of them are continuing with their family legacy of politics.
Shibu Soren, Two of his Daughter in Law under fire, One twit Another Tweet
In this election some of the stronger candidates include two daughters-in-law of former chief minister of Jharkhand Shibu Soren. Shibu Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren is also in the poll fray from Gandey constituency in Giridih.Her husband Hemant Soren is Shibu Soren’s son. Kalpana, an MBA, got into politics in 2024 after emerging winner of a by-election in the same seat. She entered the political field after her husband, Hemant, is incarcerated in prison.
Sita Soren wife of Shibu Soren’s elder son is also into politics. Based on the encounter her husband Durga Soren, Sita also joined politics and earlier contested for an MLA from the Jama seat. This year, Sita has left JMM and joined BJP and she is in the fray from Jamtara, which is a slender region with a dominant tribal as well as Muslim population.
Purnima Raghubar Das takes up the baton, Raghubar Das daughter in law
Purnima Das, the daughter-in-law of Raghubar Das, former chief minister of Jharkhand and a current Governor of Odisha is in the Jamshedpur East constituency. Raghubar Das lost it in 2019 election and after this he was out of the political scene of Jharkhand. Purnima, who married Raghubar’s son Lalit Das in 2019, has been assigned the job of restoring the electoral prestige of the family in the region.
Savita Mahato, Nirmal Mahato’s daughter-in-law, How NHM’s Daughter-in-Law won the Electoral
Savita Devi, wife of murdered activist Nirmal Mahato, is in the fray for Ichagarh constituency on JMM ticket. She already clinched the seat in 2019 after the death of her husband, Sudhir Mahato and intends to retain the seat. This time, the going will be tough for her; or rather she will face competition from an AJSU Party candidate.
A Fight for Legacy: Deepika Pandey v Old Rival Ashok Bhagat
Deepika Pandey, wife of Mr. Prem Pandey son of Awadh Bihari Singh, a former leader of united Bihar-Jharkhand is again in the race from Mahagama. She only became a minister in the government headed by Hemant Soren after the BJP lost the seat in the 2019 elections. She who began her political journey with the Youth Congress is pitted against her former competitor Ashok Bhagat.
The rhetorical tactics seem to be working; it’s Satyanand Bhogta’s daughter-in-law, Preeti, who recently stepped up to take the seat for the Chatra Municipality.
Satyanand Bhogta, a minister in the Hemant Soren government, could not contest the election from the Chatra (reserved) seat because of a change of caste by the central government reservation list. However, he has fielded his daughter-in-law Rashmi Prakash for BJP for the same seat. Rashmi can also fight election from the Dalit category and likely to gate a contest with Chirag Paswan candidate Janardan Paswan who previously fought election against Bhogta.
These are the daughters-in-law of many political parties headed in Jharkhand for the upcoming elections, which each wants to continue her family’s legacy and political dramas.