IMAGE: Kalpana Soren doesn't just interact with voters at Gandey in Giridhi, she engages them with her friendly dialogues. What do you think she is telling them? Photograph: ANI Photo
The unlikely and newly-discovered star on the Jharkhand campaign trail is a 39-year-old feisty army brat, who is married to the state's chief minister.
Wearing only saris, always sporting sindhoor, a tikka and bangles, Jharkhand political rallies haven't seen anyone like Kalpana Murmu Soren before!
She brings both lively energy and style to the podiums/stages she graces, arriving like a breath of fresh air to make fiery speeches that ignite the crowd.
Kalpana makes a pretty picture in her flyaway curly hair, a mole at the corner of her mouth, snapping black eyes and oratory skills that belie the fact that she entered politics only in March 2024, months after her husband Hemant was arrested.
In the months since she has attracted a fan following that no one in her family seems to have done before.
Kalpana, we discovered on Wikipedia, was born in Kapurthala, Punjab, where her dad Ampa Murmu was posted by the Indian Army. Like all soldier's children, she has led a peripatetic life and has been educated at Kendriya Vidyalayas all over.
Her family belongs to Bahalda in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha and she can speak Odia, English, Hindi and Santali. She earned a BTech from Bhubaneswar and MBA degree by distance learning from Symbiosis, Pune.
Kalpana contested her first elections from Gandey in the eastern part of Jharkhand, and has outshone both Hemant and his younger brother Basant's campaigns in Barhait and Dumka respectively.
When Hemant was arrested, there was talk that Kalpana would replace him as chief minister, sparking sister-in-law Sita's mini rebellion in the Soren clan. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha paterfamilias chose Champai Soren as interim CM. Now, of course, both Champai and Sita have deserted the JMM for the possibilities of the BJP.
IMAGE: So many women and young girls turned out to see Kalpana. Maybe to see someone who is one of their own, but had taken her future in her hands. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Which voter will be able to resist that winning smile? Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Everyone wants her pic. Mainly women. Photograph: ANI Photo
From a housewife and mother rarely seen in the foreground, Kalpana is the tribal leader crowds -- even little children -- now crane their necks to catch a special glimpse of.
'Jharkhand has been taken after a fight, We will fight for the rights and respect of the people of Jharkhand,' Kalpana tweeted. Photograph: Kind courtesy @JMMKalpanaSoren/X
IMAGE: She's persuasive: 'The zeal and enthusiasm of the sisters and mothers of the state is worth seeing even late in the evening. Every Jharkhandi is saying the same slogan Hemant again...' Photograph: Kind courtesy @JMMKalpanaSoren/X
IMAGE: 'Hemant hai, toh himmat hai' is another of her slogans. Photograph: Kind courtesy @JMMKalpanaSoren/X
IMAGE: 'The immense support received from all sides has ensured that on the 23rd, the reins of Jharkhand will once again be in the hands of Hemantji. He is going to become the Chief Minister for the second time in your service', announces Mrs Soren. Photograph: Kind courtesy @JMMKalpanaSoren/X
IMAGE: Her Insta feed is full of picture-perfect election trail moments -- tucking into Litti-Chokha between engagements, receiving prasad for Chhath Puja, picking up kids into her lap or flaunting the V for victory sign. Photograph: Kind courtesy @JMMKalpanaSoren/X
IMAGE: 'Got to meet my loved ones during the field trip! This blessing and affection of all of you is the strength of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha which inspires us to work for your rights and future'.
She promises: 'We and you will work together to build a better Jharkhand and will continue to contribute to the creation of a prosperous Jharkhand'. Photograph: Kind courtesy @JMMKalpanaSoren/X
IMAGE: She and Hemant Soren have two sons, Nitil and Biswajeet, who sometimes hit the election trail with her. Photograph: Kind courtesy @JMMKalpanaSoren/X
IMAGE: Kalpana gave her first political speech in Hindi in March after her husband was arrested in January, moving the audience with her words: 'My in-laws are teary-eyed and I thought I would not cry, but I am standing teary-eyed... However, seeing your love and affection, I am feeling strong. I am seeing the anger... there is fire.' Photograph: Kind courtesy @JMMKalpanaSoren/X
IMAGE: She chooses her words carefully, aiming for maximum connect with the audience: 'All of us soldiers of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha are determined to protect the development of Jharkhand, rights and dignity of the people. We are together in the fight for the rights and respect of Jharkhand. Jai Jharkhand.'Photograph: Kind courtesy @JMMKalpanaSoren/X
IMAGE: Her specialty is reaching out, beyond the men, to women of all ages. Photograph: Kind courtesy @JMMKalpanaSoren/X
IMAGE: The tikkas and saris are a perfect match. The blouses make a splash. Great example of power dressing. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Her sudden entry into political life has been compared with Rabri Devi and Sunita Kejriwal, which caused her to hit back at a ThePrint interviewer, 'Can you see that (Rabri Devi in me)?' Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: She terms her outing into politics as 'sarvajanik(public) life'. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: One of her strengths is how photogenic she is in a state where past leaders never made for very intriguing photographic portraits. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Waiting for Kalpana Didi. Photograph: ANI Photo
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IMAGE: She's a natural when she chats with voters. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Sari sisters at a JMM rally. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Her father was a subedar with the Indian Army who served with the IPKF in Sri Lanka, and Kalpana has said that 'deshbhakti' was something she grew up with, living in many parts of the country, eating different food and living with people from every state. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Has the JMM found their most effective arrow? Photograph: ANI Photo
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IMAGE: Once a business woman, who ran a school and had an interest in organic farming, she has now apparently an amazing 400 rallies under her belt, a new career and is equally a face of the party, along with her husband and his family. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Kalpana holds a child at an election rally in Chakradharpur, November 7, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Kalpana addresses an election rally in Chakradharpur, November 7, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com and Anant Salvi/ Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
