BJP’s imagination: Jharkhand CM Soren on possibility of wife contesting polls

Ranchi, Jan 2 (PTI) Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday dismissed speculations of his wife Kalpana Soren contesting from Gandey assembly constituency in the state and termed it as a "complete imagination" of the BJP.

There is not an iota of truth in the speculations, Soren told PTI.

"Possibility of my wife contesting in near future is a complete imagination of the BJP... Speculations about handing over reins to her is a fabric woven by the BJP to build a false narrative," he said.

The speculations were triggered by the Enforcement Directorate's recent summons to the chief minister coupled with the sudden resignation by the ruling JMM's Gandey MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad on Monday.

The opposition BJP has claimed that Ahmad was made to quit so that the chief minister's wife Kalpana Soren could contest from the Gandey seat in case of any eventuality in connection with the ED summonses.

Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly are due later this year.

The ruling JMM-led coalition has convened a meeting of its legislators here on Wednesday to discuss the present political situation in the state. PTI