The ruling party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) today announced that Kalpana Soren, wife of jailed former chief minister Hemant Soren, will contest the bypoll from Gandey assembly seat. 

The JMM, a member of INDIA bloc in Jharkhand, also announced the candidature of Sameer Mohanty from Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat. 

Bypoll in Gandey, which fell vacant following the resignation of JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad, who was later elected as RS MP,is scheduled on May 20 along with parliamentary elections in the state. 

The 2024 Jharkhand legislative assembly election is scheduled to be held in November–December 2024. If she gets elected as an MLA, she might succeed Champai Soren as CM.

Kalpana Soren, a homemaker with MTech and MBA qualifications, came to the forefront with aggressive speeches against the BJP after Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. 

She was previously considered a frontrunner for the position of chief minister after Hemant Soren's resignation. She faced opposition from Sita Soren, the elder daughter-in-law of Shibu Soren. 

Her political journey began at the 51st foundation day celebration of the JMM in Giridih district on March 4, when she claimed that a conspiracy had been orchestrated by opponents ever since the Hemant Soren-led coalition government came to power in 2019.