The political landscape of Kolhan in Jharkhand was significantly impacted during the state’s assembly elections. The situation gained further complexity after Champai Soren’s decision to leave the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha on August 28, 2024, which involved resigning from both his cabinet post and his role as an MLA. Subsequently, the Hemant Soren government chose Ramdas Soren to take over Champai Soren’s position as a cabinet minister.
Ramdas Soren was victorious in the November 2024 assembly elections, winning for the third time from the Ghatshila constituency, defeating Babulal Soren, the son of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren. He was sworn in as a minister in the Hemant Soren government on December 5, 2024.
Kolhan includes the districts of East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, and Kharsawan. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has maintained a strong presence in this area, however, the month of August 2025 has been a difficult period, marked by great loss for the JMM, the ruling party in Jharkhand.
The state and the JMM were still recovering from the passing of Dishom Guru Shibu Soren, the founder, patron, and former central president of the JMM, who also served as a former Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha MP, on August 4th. The death of Ramdas Soren, the Education Minister and a key figure from Kolhan, at Delhi’s Apollo Hospital on August 15th, added to the sorrow.
The deaths of two prominent figures within 12 days in August have profoundly affected not only Chief Minister Hemant Soren but also the overall party structure. The passing of Ramdas Soren, who replaced Champai Soren as Education Minister, raises a crucial question: who will now lead the politics of the Kolhan division?
Despite the recent losses, the JMM has several strong leaders in Kolhan, including Joba Manjhi, a former minister and currently a Lok Sabha MP, along with ministers Deepak Biruwa, Sameer Mohanty, Mangal Kalindi, Niral Purti, and Sonaram Sinku, who are working with Hemant Soren to strengthen the JMM in Kolhan.
The key question is who will take charge of the political dynamics of Kolhan. Both the Kolhan division and the state of Jharkhand are mourning the loss of their two prominent leaders.
Prior to this, the JMM faced another setback on April 6, 2023, when Jagannath Mahto, the then Education Minister and known as ‘Tiger’, passed away. He died at Apollo Hospital in Chennai on April 6, 2023, after a long illness.
Jagannath Mahto had undergone a lung transplant after contracting COVID-19, and his health was unstable. During the March 2023 assembly budget session, his health declined, leading to his admission to a Chennai hospital on March 14, 2023, for better medical care. Jagannath Mahto was elected as an MLA four times from the Dumri assembly seat in Jharkhand. After his death, his wife, Baby Devi, was inducted into the cabinet without becoming an MLA first and was sworn in as a minister.
She was later chosen as a candidate for the by-election and won, serving as a minister. However, Jagannath Mahto’s political influence came to an end in the 2024 assembly elections when Jayram Mahto, the head of the JLKM party, defeated Baby Devi, the wife of the late Jagannath Mahto.
With the recent death of Education Minister Ramdas Soren, discussions are now focused on who will inherit his political legacy and the implications for Kolhan’s political landscape. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the state government, and the entire state are in deep mourning following the sudden deaths of two prominent leaders within a 12-day period.
