Shibu Soren: Jharkhand's Three-Time CM, Never a Full Term; Check Reasons Why

Shibu Soren, a former Union Minister, Jharkhand Chief Minister, Rajya Sabha MP, and one of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's founders, passed away. He was eighty-one years old. His condition was grave for the last few days, and he had been receiving treatment in Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital for more than a month.

Hemant Soren, the chief minister of Jharkhand and the son of Mr. Soren, announced his father's passing on X. "Our beloved Dishom Guruji is no longer with us. Today, I lost everything," he stated.

Shibu Soren’s Death: Loss to Jharkhand

According to a statement from the hospital, Mr. Soren was admitted on June 19 and was being treated by Senior Consultant in Nephrology, Dr. A.K. Bhalla. "On August 4, 2025, Mr. Shibu Soren died away quietly with his family by his side, despite the most diligent efforts of our interdisciplinary medical staff. In this time of sorrow and loss of a highly regarded mass leader, we offer our deepest sympathies to his family, his loved ones, and the people of Jharkhand," he said.

Who is Shibu Soren?

Shibu Soren, a member of the Santhal community, was born in the Ramgarh area of Bihar at the time. In 1972, he joined Kurmi Mahato leader Binod Bihari Mahato and Leftist trade union leader AK Roy to form the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. Over time, Mr. Soren became a prominent figure in the statehood campaign that resulted in the creation of Jharkhand in 2000.

Throughout his four-decade political career, Mr. Soren was elected to the Lok Sabha eight times and spent two terms as a Rajya Sabha MP, the second of which was still in progress.

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Early Political Career

In 1980, he was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time from Dumka, which eventually became a JMM stronghold. In 2019, the BJP's Nalin Soren defeated the veteran politician by a margin of more than 45,000 votes in his stronghold.

In 2004, Mr. Soren joined the Manmohan Singh administration, but he was ordered to leave when an arrest warrant was issued in the 1974 Chirudih case, which was connected to a fight between Muslims and Tribes. He was re-inducted into the Union cabinet after being granted bail, but he resigned to become the Chief Minister of Jharkhand instead. He returned as Union Coal Minister in 2006 after his 10-day term. He was forced to step down once more after being found guilty in the murder case of Shashinath Jha, his former secretary, less than a year later. He was later found not guilty in the case by the Delhi High Court. 

In the second term as Jharkhand CM, although his party was the BJP's ally in the state, it supported a motion introduced by the UPA government in Parliament, which led to the termination of his last tenure as chief minister. The BJP withdrew its backing in anger over the action, and Mr. Soren's government fell.

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Short Stints as Chief Minister

Mr. Soren held the positions of three Chief Ministers and Union Minister, however he was unable to fulfill any of them. In 2005, he was first appointed Chief Minister of Jharkhand, but he had to step down nine days later after failing the Assembly's floor test. Following that, he held the position for two more periods, but both were short-lived due to the complexities of coalition politics.