Shibu Soren, JMM patriarch and a force in tribal politics, dies at 81

Shibu Soren, who led the Jharkhand statehood movement and served thrice as CM, passed away in Delhi after a prolonged illness, leaving behind a deep political legacy

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) founder and former chief minister Shibu Soren passed away at the age of 81, his son Hemant Soren confirmed on Monday.

 

Shibu Soren had been undergoing treatment at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital since late June. He had been placed on ventilator support due to kidney-related complications, according to earlier reports by PTI.

 

Decades of activism and tribal leadership

Born on January 11, 1944 in Nemra village near Ramgarh in present-day Jharkhand, Shibu Soren became a towering figure in eastern India’s tribal politics. After completing his matriculation from Gola High School in Hazaribagh, he became deeply involved in land rights and tribal mobilisation.

 

 

In 1973, Soren co-founded the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha to demand a separate state for tribal communities. His advocacy bore fruit in 2000 when Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar.

 

He was elected JMM president in 1987 and remained the party’s guiding force for decades.  Leaders across party lines remember Shibu Soren for his contributions

Tenure as chief minister and Union minister

Soren served as chief minister of Jharkhand three times—briefly in 2005, from 2008 to 2009, and again from 2009 to 2010. He also expanded the JMM’s support base among industrial workers and mine labourers in the mineral-rich state.

 

Despite his stature, JMM’s electoral grip was often tenuous, requiring alliances with national parties like the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form governments.

 

In 2004, Soren was inducted as Union Minister for Coal and Mines in the UPA government but resigned within two months after an arrest warrant was issued in a 1975 murder case. He was later acquitted in 2010 after a protracted legal battle.

 

From statehood icon to parliamentary elder

Soren’s influence in state politics remained intact despite declining health in later years. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2020 and continued as JMM president while gradually handing over responsibilities to his son, Hemant Soren.

 

In the 2024 Jharkhand Assembly elections, Hemant Soren returned as chief minister, marking a stunning comeback with the INDIA bloc, securing 56 seats in the 81-member state assembly.

 

Family and legacy

Shibu Soren married Roopi Soren in 1962 and is survived by four children—three sons and a daughter.

 

Known affectionately as ‘Guruji’, Soren leaves behind a political legacy rooted in tribal empowerment, statehood advocacy, and the long arc of grassroots leadership.