Amid reports of the Enforcement Directorate claiming that it has enough evidence to arrest Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a money laundering case, speculations are rife that his wife Kalpana Soren, might be made the next Chief Minister of the state.
At a meeting held yesterday, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) held a meeting, where the proposal to make Kalpana Soren the next CM was floated. Reports said that Hemant Soren proposed the name of his wife as the next CM.
According to reports, at least 35 MLAs attended the meeting. The MLAs are said to have signed an anonymous letter of support.
Meanwhile, BJP’s Nishikant Dubey on Tuesday said that Hemant Soren plans to place his wife in the CM’s chair in case he gets arrested.
It may be mentioned here that earlier this month also, Nishikant Dubey made a similar claim, however, CM Soren refuted it.
Now parallels are being drawn between Kalpana Soren and former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad’s wife Rabri Devi who became Chief Minister of Bihar in 1996 after Lalu Prasad was arrested.
As per reports, CM Soren has given time to ED for questioning today in connection with a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. ED had earlier said that CM Soren was missing.
Can Kalpana Soren become the next CM of Jharkhand?
Since Kalpana Soren is not an MLA, an incumbent MLA must give up their seat in order for her to become the CM.
Meanwhile, Basant Soren, Hemant’s brother, and Sita Soren, his sister-in-law, were against Kalpana being Chief Minister, said Nishikant Dubey.
Here are 5 facts about Kalpana Soren:
1.Kalpana Soren is originally from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.
2.She was born in Ranchi in 1946.
3.She studied engineering and MBA.
4.She got married to Hemant Soren on February 7, 2006.
5.Besides running a school she is also involved in business, charity work and in organic farming.
Is Hemant Soren’s arrest imminent?
After, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had searched his Delhi house on Monday, he has been “untraceable” since then.
ED in its investigation into at least three money laundering cases, has allegedly amassed compelling evidence against Soren, implicating him in a land scam, illegal mining, and coal mining in the state, reported India Today.
According to India Today reports, the evidence collected during the probe is substantial enough to warrant Soren’s arrest.
Soren has been summoned by the ED 10 times, but he skipped them all but one, when he consented to be questioned at home.
The ED has stated clearly that they will take additional steps to contact Soren if he does not show up today.
