Rise of new JMM face: First-time minister Basant Soren set to lead party in LS polls with brother Hemant in jail

With Hemant Soren in judicial custody, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is quickly adjusting to life without the leadership of its former chief minister. After taking over as the new CM on February 2 to lead the state’s Mahagathbandhan alliance, JMM leader Champai Soren won the trust vote on February 5. On Friday, he expanded his Cabinet by inducting eight new ministers including Basant Soren, Hemant’s younger brother and Dumka MLA.

After his swearing-in, first-time minister Basant Soren told reporters: “We don’t shy away from uphill tasks… We will fight the election under Hemant Soren and one political party will be wiped out.” Sources said with Hemant in judicial custody, Basant will be a key JMM face in the party’s campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, especially in the Santhal Parganas region.

The youngest son of JMM supremo Shibu Soren, Basant Soren, 44, heads the party’s youth wing. His political innings began in Dumka when elder brother Hemant fought from there in the state’s first ever Assembly elections in 2005. Hemant lost, but Basant, who was involved in his campaign, learnt his lessons. He, though, had to wait till the 2016 Rajya Sabha elections for his first brush with electoral politics, when he lost by a whisker to the BJP’s Mahesh Poddar.

Basant entered the state Assembly in 2020 by winning a bypoll from Dumka, which Hemant had vacated, having also won from Barhait in the December 2019 Assembly polls. During the Covid-19 second wave, he is said to have visited his constituency frequently and helped with the vaccination efforts. A district administration source later said, “Among tribals, there was a lot of hesitancy about vaccines. To combat this, we conducted camps and Basant Soren helped us make