In Jharkhand, both the JMM-led INDIA bloc and the BJP-led NDA are yet to finalise seat-sharing arrangements. The JMM has made its Maiya Samman Yojna the centre-piece of its campaign and leading it from the front is Kalpana Soren, the Gandey MLA and CM Hemant Soren’s wife. As part of the welfare scheme launched in August, women between 18 and 50 years old from underprivileged communities are now eligible to receive Rs2,500 each month, as the state cabinet on 14 October increased the amount from Rs 1000. The very next day, the EC announced that the Jharkhand assembly election would be held on November 13 and 20, with counting scheduled for November 23. To ensure people are acquainted about the scheme and receive the feedback from the ground, the Soren government initiated the Maiya Samman Yatra on September 23 to counter the BJP’s Parivartan Yatra that concluded on October 2. Spearheading the Maiya Samman Yatra related to the scheme, the Jharkhand CM’s wife Kalpana has emerged as a key leader in her own right. Her direct engagement with women voters, often dining with them in rural districts, has resonated deeply and her growing political stature showcase her as a figure to watch in this election.
