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The controversy surrounding Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s age declaration has ignited political debate as Jharkhand prepares for upcoming elections. Allegations have emerged from BJP leaders claiming Soren’s declared age discrepancy of seven years across two electoral affidavits—a 2019 affidavit listed his age as 42, while the current affidavit lists it as 49. The BJP has questioned the inconsistency, accusing Soren of manipulating official documents and suggesting further irregularities related to his property declarations. BJP leaders, including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, have called this discrepancy an instance of “systemic fraud,” escalating tensions ahead of Jharkhand’s mid-November Assembly elections.
Allegation?
Pratul Shah Deo, a BJP representative, argued that these alleged inconsistencies point to larger issues within the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the ruling party. He questioned both Soren’s age changes and his financial disclosures, specifically pointing to unusual changes in property values. Deo also highlighted that certain assets that appeared in previous filings had disappeared from current ones. Deo’s statements imply that either the original or the latest declarations might have been inaccurate, a charge that, if verified, could have legal implications for Soren’s candidacy.
JMM response?
In response, Soren’s party, JMM, dismissed the claims as unfounded, accusing BJP of attempting to shift focus from pressing political issues. JMM spokesperson, insisted that the information presented in the current affidavit is “crystal clear” and accessible to the public. He further justified the age listed, stating that any errors in previous affidavits had been corrected, and emphasized that Soren’s age aligns with his birth year, 1975. According to Pandey, these attacks represent a “diversionary tactic” intended to undercut JMM’s focus on delivering results and distract from its ongoing political agenda.
The escalating dispute is taking place against a backdrop of high stakes in the Jharkhand elections, with both the JMM-Congress alliance and the BJP gearing up for a fierce contest. Both parties have intensified their rhetoric as they prepare to mobilize voters in the state’s 81 assembly constituencies. Political analysts suggest that this age-related controversy, while seemingly minor, underscores the broader political tensions and the lengths each party will go to influence public perception in the weeks leading to the polls.
The incident also reflects a larger trend in Indian politics where administrative and technical inaccuracies are often used to question the credibility of leaders. If pursued legally, these allegations could require further scrutiny from election officials and might even result in calls to disqualify Soren’s nomination, although that remains speculative. In the meantime, the controversy has certainly added a charged dimension to the upcoming election campaigns, with both parties using it to bolster their narratives around accountability and transparency.
As Jharkhand’s election approaches, it’s likely that this issue, along with other points of contention, will remain a focal point in the political discourse, potentially impacting voter sentiment and further influencing alliances within the state’s complex political landscape.
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