Hemant Soren under ED lens: Jharkhand CM takes 1,200 km road trip to Ranchi amid ‘missing’ claims | 10 things to know

In some significant political developments in Jharkhand, Chief Minister Hemant Soren was reported to be “missing” for several hours before resurfacing in Ranchi, the state capital, on Tuesday. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader went to Delhi for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case, but the federal agency said that it failed to locate the leader.

The ED's claim raised political heat in Jharkhand as the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that Hemant Soren is “on the run” from the ED probe and it even released his “missing” posters.

Hemant Soren faces ED probe: 10 things to know

1. The team of the ED claimed that when they reached the Delhi residence of Hemant Soren for questioning, they failed to locate the leader.

2. However, the federal agency investigators found some ‘incriminating’ evidence when they searched his residence and seized his BMW car and ₹36 lakh in cash.

3. As the word spreads, the BJP in Jharkhand claimed that the chief minister was absconding and even asked the Governor to take note of the matter.

4. "It is the job of the Governor, I am doing it. We will cross the bridge when it comes," Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan said,

5. But the chief minister arrived at his residence on Tuesday and held a meeting with the members of the ruling alliance in Jharkhand.

6. Hemant Soren has said that he is ready for the questioning and will depose before the ED on Wednesday at 1:00 PM.

7. The people close to the chief minister said that he went to Delhi for legal consultations in his case and while the ED kept a close watch at Delhi airport, Hemant Soren chose to make the 1,200 km return trip to Ranchi by road.

8. In Ranchi, the chief minister went to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary at Bapu Vatika. "I reside in your hearts," the Jharkhand chief minister told reporters when asked about his whereabouts. "We all are committed to following the footsteps and ideologies of the Father of the Nation. We are proud that such people were born among us and gave us guidance," he added.

9. The BJP has alleged that the ruling coalition is planning to make Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana Soren the next chief minister of Jharkhand.

10. "Hemant Soren ji has called his own, JMM, Congress, and allied MLAs to reach Ranchi with their luggage and bags. According to the information, there is a proposal to make Kalpana Soren ji (Hemant Soren's wife) Chief Minister," BJP MP Dr Nishikant Dubey said in a post on X.