Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s nomination papers filed for the upcoming state assembly elections have been found with age-related discrepancies.
Reports, referring to the Soren’s affidavit, said that his age has increased by seven years over a period of five years.
Soren, in his 2019 nomination had mentioned him as a 42-year-old man, whereas this year’s document lists him 49 years of age.
According to the affidavit, Soren’s age has increased by seven years over a period of five years. In his 2019 nomination, his age was mentioned as 42 years, whereas this year’s document lists him as 49-year-old.
The development has prompted questions and criticism from various quarters.
BJP has demanded cancellation of Soren’s nomination
The BJP has sought cancellation of Soren’s nomination, alleging discrepancies in his age, reports said.
Raising the issue, Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo asked how someone’s age could increase by seven years in a span of five.
The saffron party also raised concerns about a decrease in Soren’s income, from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 4 lakh during the past five years, and alleged that many assets of the CM were not mentioned in the affidavit.
BJP leaders have also filed complaints with an aim to escalate the matter to the Election Commission.
Assam Chief Minister and BJP co-incharge for Jharkhand assembly elections, Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that the entire system of JMM is fake.
“…this is a government of infiltrators. If the state government comes to power again, no one will be safe… It is the responsibility of the people of Jharkhand to remove them from power… No action is being taken against Irfan Ansari who made derogatory statements about the people of the tribal community,” he charged.
Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) responds to charges
Reacting to the controversy, the ruling Jharkhand JMM defended the CM and said the BJP was raising such issues out of frustration.
JMM leader Manoj Pandey, dismissing any wrong information in Soren’s nomination papers, said that all nomination-related documents were verified, and the charges were “baseless”.
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He also emphasized that the JMM has always maintained transparency in its declarations.
The state assembly elections
The Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024 elections will take place in two phases, on November 13 and November 20, with counting of votes scheduled for November 23.
About 2.60 crore electors, including 11.84 lakh first-timers and 1.13 lakh persons with disabilities, third-gender individuals, and senior citizens over 85 years of age, are expected to vote, compared to 2.23 crore in the previous assembly elections held in 2019.
