Between BJP and power bid, Hemant evolved and assured

This October is a far cry from January 2013 when Hemant, 39, who had pulled down the Arjun Munda government, was made to wait six months by the Congress before it lent its support

Looked uncertain when he took over, now even Congress backing him as leader of alliance in polls.

Its confidence high after the Lok Sabha and two assembly election victories, the BJP will inevitably target emerging the single largest party in the Jharkhand assembly too. That will leave the other parties with the objective of thwarting the BJP by cobbling together alliances that will possibly inch them past the majority mark in the 81-member House.

With that objective, the Congress has announced that it would fight the elections under the leadership of the JMM’s Hemant Soren. At the time of one of its worst crises, the Congress has placed its trust in a debutant MLA who had been CM for just 15 months. “He has no ego and is easy to negotiate with. He is transparent and has evolved into a good leader,” said Congress leader Ajay Kumar, who was involved in the talks leading to the announcement.

This October is a far cry from January 2013 when Hemant, 39, who had pulled down the Arjun Munda government, was made to wait six months by the Congress before it lent its support. Back then, even those within the JMM knew very little of someone they respected only because he was Shibu Soren’s son. Hemant, a bespectacled, slight man, could not match the stature of his brother Durga Soren, who was the de facto chief of the party until his death in 2009.

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Even as recently as April, a senior BJP leader had noted, “Guruji wants to be CM still. Wait and see, Hemant will fail; Guruji will take over to save the party.” His father’s old aides were up in arms over their reduced role in the decision-making process; Hemant had allied with the RJD, which had opposed the creation of Jharkhand.

Signs of Hemant’s evolution began to show before the Lok Sabha elections. He fired Congress leader Chandrashekhar Dubey from his cabinet for personal attacks, and did nothing to stop senior leader Hemlal Murmu from joining the BJP, for it removed one of the party’s power centres out of his way. And in the elections, Hemant was the only one who stood between the BJP and a clean sweep, with the JMM winning two of the four seats it had contested. Hemant had micro-managed his father’s campaign in Dumka; in Rajmahal, he handpicked Vijay Hansdak and made sure he won against Murmu.After the elections, Hemant fired another cabinet colleague, Simon Marandi, who used to boast that he had mentored Shibu Soren. Last month, he fired the Congress’s Yogendra Sao. “We are the only party that has dared to fire ministers for incompetence. Guruji fired two; Hemant has fired three,” said JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya.

After the elections, Hemant fired another cabinet colleague, Simon Marandi, who used to boast that he had mentored Shibu Soren. Last month, he fired the Congress’s Yogendra Sao. “We are the only party that has dared to fire ministers for incompetence. Guruji fired two; Hemant has fired three,” said JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya.

As the Congress’s Ajay Kumar put it, Hemant has evolved when no one had given him a realistic chance. And a senior bureaucrat said, “I have worked with chief ministers who would put their signature wherever bureaucrats pointed. This CM never takes any action without being properly briefed. I don’t think he trusts anyone.”

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Hemant stayed late in his office night after night ahead of October 20 – the unofficial cutoff date set by the government for announcing programmes ahead of the model code of conduct. Sources said that when potential issues cropped up in a file relating to one scheme, Hemant pushed for it despite the minister concerned warning him against it. He relies on a circle that frustrates senior leaders because of the difficulty they have in gaining access to him.

His supporters’ profile contrasts the traditional identity of the JMM. This post-Jharkhand movement generation, such as Vijay Hansdak and the recently inducted Kunal Sarangi, trained at the London School of Economics, is likely to be in favour of policies such as the relaxation of land tenancy laws, previously a no-go area in the party. While Shibu Soren was disinterested in files, his son seems to have thrived as an administrator. Hemant, on the other hand, is no leader of the masses as his father is. Shibu Soren never lost sight of the adivasi question; Hemant’s circle is almost exclusively caste Hindu.Despite rising within the party, Hemant will not be able to rest easy. The BJP plans to put up a strong fight in his Dumka constituency. In the past few months, Hemant has been on a project-announcement spree in Dumka, camping there for long periods.

Despite rising within the party, Hemant will not be able to rest easy. The BJP plans to put up a strong fight in his Dumka constituency. In the past few months, Hemant has been on a project-announcement spree in Dumka, camping there for long periods.