Jharkhand: Shibu Soren, Rajya Sabha MP, former Union Minister, Jharkhand Chief Minister and one of the Founders of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), passed away this morning. He was 81.

He had been under treatment at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital for over a month and his condition had turned critical over the past few days.

He is survived by wife Roopi Soren, three sons and daughter Anjani, who is the party’s Odisha unit head. His elder son Durga Soren died in May 2009. The other son Hemant Soren has carried forward the family’s political legacy and currently serves as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, having held the position across multiple terms. His youngest son Basant Soren is a Legislator.

Soren’s son and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren shared the news of his father’s death on X. “Beloved Dishom Guruji has left us. I lost everything today,” he said.

According to Dr. A.K. Bhalla, Chairman of the Nephrology Department of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, “Shibu Soren was suffering from kidney ailments, and had suffered a stroke a month and a half back. He was on life support for the last one month. He was declared dead at 8.56 am.”

Born on January 11, 1944, in Ramgarh district’s Nemra village (then in Bihar, now in Jharkhand), Soren was popularly known as ‘Dishom Guru’ (leader of the land) and patriarch of JMM.

Over a four-decade career in politics, Soren was elected to the Lok Sabha eight times and served as a Rajya Sabha MP for two terms, the second ongoing.

Belonging to the Santhal community, Shibu Soren tied up with Leftist trade union leader AK Roy and Kurmi Mahato leader Binod Bihari Mahato to form the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in 1972. Soren went on to become a key face of the Statehood movement, which led to the formation of Jharkhand in 2000.

He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980 from Dumka, which later turned into a stronghold of the JMM. The veteran leader suffered defeat at his bastion in 2019, when the BJP’s Nalin Soren won by a margin of over 45,000 votes. He became Jharkhand CM for the first time in 2005, but had to resign just nine days later after he failed to clear the floor test in the Assembly.

The Jharkhand Government has declared three-day State mourning in honour of former CM Shibu Soren and also cancelled all its scheduled programmes during the period, a statement said. Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day in honour of the late MP.

State Health Minister Irfan Ansari has announced that Soren’s body will be brought to Ranchi around 4 pm today. It will then be taken to his residence in the Morabadi area before being moved to the Jharkhand Assembly at 11 am on Tuesday. After this, it will be transported to his native place, Nemra, in the Ramgarh district for the last rites.