NEW DELHI: BJP‘s Shehzad Poonawalla on Friday raised allegations of corruption against Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, specifically pointing out inconsistencies in age declarations across different affidavits.
“JMM means ‘Jhol, Muslim appeasement and Mafia’. The JMM govt which has set new standards of corruption is now doing corruption in affidavits also. Mr Hemant Soren has aged 7 years in the last 5 years. Similarly, they did corruption and scams,” BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla said.
BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo highlighted discrepancies in Soren’s nomination papers. “There are significant discrepancies between Hemant Soren’s 2021 and 2024 nominations. How can he be 45 in 2021 and 49 in 2024?” questioned Deo, noting that certain assets from previous affidavits are no longer listed.
According to BJP’s claims, Soren’s stated age has changed from 42 in 2019 to 49 in 2024.
The JMM has rejected these accusations, with their spokesperson Manoj Pandey stating, “We do not hide anything. All documents are clear and verified. BJP leaders seem rattled by the prospect of a loss.”
Currently, Hemant Soren has submitted his nomination for the Barhait Assembly constituency, while JMM member Kalpana Soren is contesting from Gandey.
The upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections will take place on November 13 and 20, with results announced on November 23. The electoral process will involve 2.60 crore voters, including 66 lakh young voters and 12 lakh first-time voters, who will elect representatives for 81 seats. The 2019 election results showed JMM winning 30 seats, BJP 25, and Congress 16.