Soren sees cases vanishing, while Marandi's wife turns ‘business woman'
Five years’ time may not be worthy enough for the voters to gain something substantial or change their fortune but this does not apply to the leaders got elected by their votes. Period between 2009 and 2005 proved reasonably fruitful for JMM's vintage leader Shibu Soren who managed to get away from all criminal cases pending against him while his bête noire Babulal Marnadi's wife Shanti Murmu gaining nearly Rs 16 lakh from scratches!
Known for his rather revolutionary past, the JMM patriarch had as many as five serious cases pending against him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Soren had cases filed way back in 1974 at Pirtand of Giridih under the Sections 147, 148, 307, 302 and 201 besides under Sections 144, 341, 354, 504 at Poraiyahat of Godda, under 188 at Jamshedpur, at Bokaro under 323, 342, 504, 347, 348 and 34 and at Jamtara under Sections 148, 149, 302, 436, 429. Though, his affidavit for the 2014 elections has no mention about the cases and in other words understood to having been disposed of.
On the hindsight, senior Soren's fortune rose over three times during the period. As in 2009 he had Rs 4,25,926 in hand and his wife Rupi Soren Rs 481000, couple showed total asset worth Rs 8056345. Soren now alone possesses movable asset of Rs 8091200 and immovable worth 16,000,000 while his better half has inclusive value of her assets, accumulated through noble profession of agriculture and dairy, worth Rs 7443484 of movable and Rs 15226000 of immovable.
On the contrary, the educational qualification of the vintage leader instead of going up-even if it is possible at the age of 68-dipped in comparison of 2009. The latest affidavit showed him as 10th passed who was educated up to 11th standard five years ago!
"It shows the seriousness of the candidates while filling the affidavits. We know all these but can act only if we get some written complaints," said a senior official of the Election Commission.
Unlike Soren, the JVM leader did no summersaults as far as cases pending against him are concerned. Marandi, locking horn directly with Soren at Dumka this time around, had just two cases under Section 188 of the IPC and Section 130 under the RP Act during 2009. The first Chief Minister of Jharkhand found himself the other side of the law for one more time taking the toll up to three in 2014.
The JVM leader had Rs 1,300,000 of immovable and Rs 837,677 of movable properties five years ago in 2009 and became richer considerably in 2014. Marandi possessed immovable property worth of Rs 3,332,000 and movable of Rs 1,974,993.
But the real swing in the fortune came of his wife Shanti Devi. Shanti Devi not only went from nil to Rs 1,594,369 in terms of property in five years' time but also became a 'business woman' named as Shanti Murmu!