JMM formally expels Sita Soren, Hembron from party for six years

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) formally expelled legislators Sita Soren and Lobin Hembron for six years for anti-party activities, the party said in a statement on Friday.

Sita Soren is the eldest daughter-in-law of JMM president Shibu Soren.

A three-term legislator from Jama, Sita resigned from the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on March 19, alleging she was being sidelined in her parent party and that Kalpana Soren, wife of incarcerated former chief minister Hemant Soren, was being promoted.

The JMM had refused to comment on her resignation at the time.

Dropping its sitting MP Sunil Soren, the BJP has fielded Sita from the Dumka Lok Sabha seat, considered the citadel of the JMM that has been represented by Shibu Soren in the Parliament on eight occasions.

“On March 19, you sent a resignation letter making baseless allegations against senior party leadership. Later, it came to light through various mediums that you have filed a nomination for the Dumka Lok Sabha seat. The two developments show that you made baseless allegations to justify your pre-decided step to contest the Lok Sabha election. Therefore, you are being relieved from all posts, and your primary membership of the party is being suspended for six years,” the letter from Shibu Soren read.

Besides Sita Soren, the party on Friday also suspended a three-term legislator from Borio, Lobin Hembron, who is contesting as an Independent from the Rajmahal parliamentary seat.

The JMM has given the ticket from Rajmahal to two-term sitting MP Vijay Hansdak, which was being opposed by Hembron across different platforms.

“...By filing a nomination as an independent, you have acted against the principle of coalition dharma, besides creating confusion in the minds of party workers. In that context, you are being removed from all posts and suspended from the primary membership of the party for six years,” the letter issued by party chief Shibu Soren said.

Hembron is the second sitting MLA after Bishunpur MLA Chamra Linda to have been suspended from the party for contesting as an independent against INDIA bloc candidates.

Linda contested as an independent against Congress candidate Sukhdeo Bhagat from the Lohardaga seat.

Besides the two sitting legislators, the party has suspended two former MLAs for turning rebels in the ongoing parliamentary elections.

The party suspended former Gandey MLA JP Verma for contesting as an independent from Koderma and former Torpa legislator Basant Lounga for contesting as an independent from the Khunti parliamentary seat.

In April, Sita Soren claimed that the people of the state were standing with her and that the future is dark for the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. Soren told a news agency, “The people of Jharkhand were already standing behind me with the dreams of Durga Soren. Even now, I have assurance that the people where we are standing are also with us.”