September 6 will always be remembered by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, especially by Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his family.
It was the day Sudivya Kumar Sonu, among the most dynamic leaders and dependable crisis managers in recent JMM history, passed away at the age of 56. There was no warning, no time to prepare for his absence. And perhaps that is what makes his death politically more significant.
Sonu was not just the Giridih Sadar MLA or a minister in the Hemant Soren government. Over the years, he had quietly become a key mind behind the JMM’s political strategy and one of the people the Soren family could turn to when the party or the government was going through a difficult phase.
That is why his absence creates a question much bigger than who will contest the next election from Giridih.
Who will be Hemant Soren’s crisis manager now?
Behind the Scenes: How Sudivya Kumar Sonu Built the JMM Shield
Sonu had at least three qualities that made him different from many politicians of his generation.
First, he was a political thinker and strategist. He understood the ground, the organisation and, perhaps most importantly, the political mood of Jharkhand.
Since 2019, he had remained a trusted troubleshooter for the JMM and the Hemant Soren government. His political journey also brought him particularly close to the Soren family.
He stood by Shibu Soren during some of the family’s difficult legal battles and later became an important figure around Hemant Soren.
When Hemant Soren was sent to jail in 2024, Sonu was among the leaders who helped the JMM navigate the uncertainty that followed. He was also instrumental in Kalpana Soren’s entry into electoral politics through Gandey
That was not a small development.
Kalpana Soren, who had never contested an election before, suddenly found herself at the centre of Jharkhand politics. Sonu was among those who helped turn that transition into an organised political campaign.
And when Champai Soren, another senior tribal leader who had briefly taken over as chief minister, eventually left the JMM, Sonu remained with the Soren family and the party.
For Hemant Soren, that kind of loyalty mattered.
Even during the recent JPSC-CGL examination protest, Sonu was the government’s face in negotiations with the protesting aspirants—a role that showed why Hemant Soren trusted him in moments of crisis.
Why Giridih Assembly Seat Is Hemant Soren’s Biggest Post-Sonu Test
The second major contribution of Sonu was Giridih.
Giridih has never been an easy political territory for the JMM. The BJP has had a strong presence here, while leaders such as Babulal Marandi and Jairam Kumar Mahto have made the district even more politically significant.
Yet Sonu managed to hold Giridih Sadar for two consecutive Assembly elections.
That is important because Giridih Sadar was the only urban Assembly constituency that the JMM won in the 2024 Jharkhand Assembly election.
Sonu had therefore done something that went beyond winning his own seat. He had built an organisation in an area where the JMM had to fight a much stronger urban political challenge.
And that organisation is now without its central figure.
Beyond Assembly Borders: Decoding Sonu’s Dominance in Giridih Urban Politics
Sonu’s influence was not restricted to the Assembly election.
In the 2026 municipal elections, the JMM-backed formation succeeded in securing the mayor’s post, with Pramila Mehra becoming mayor, while Sumit Kumar became deputy mayor.
For a party that has traditionally had to fight hard for space in Giridih’s urban politics, this was significant.
It also showed how far Sonu’s influence had travelled beyond the Assembly constituency.
Now the question is whether that organisation can survive without him.
Hemant Soren will need a group of leaders who can keep the JMM and its allies relevant in Giridih. Replacing an MLA is one thing. Replacing the political network, personal relationships and organisational machinery built around him is another.
Will Shweta Sharma Contest the Giridih Bypoll? The Succession Question
The most immediate name being discussed in Giridih is that of Sonu’s wife, Shweta Sharma.
Her name has started doing the rounds as a possible JMM candidate for the Giridih Assembly bypoll. If the party eventually chooses her, it would allow the JMM to take Sonu’s legacy directly to the voters.
But as of now, this remains a discussion and not an announced decision.
There has also been speculation about a possible ministerial role for Shweta Sharma. That too should be seen as speculation unless and until Hemant Soren or the JMM formally announces it.
For the party, however, the larger question will remain the same: can Sonu’s network be transferred to another leader?
Why Kalpana Soren’s Role Just Got Bigger in North Chotanagpur
Kalpana Soren’s role could become even more important.
She represents the neighbouring Gandey constituency and has already demonstrated that she can carry the Soren family’s message into an electoral battle.
Her first election itself came at one of the most difficult moments for the family, after Hemant Soren’s arrest.
Sonu was closely involved in that political transition.
With him gone, Kalpana Soren may have to shoulder a greater organisational and political responsibility in the region. Whether that eventually means a ministerial position or some other formal responsibility is a decision for the party and the chief minister.
But politically, her importance is unlikely to diminish.
The Sarfaraz Ahmed Factor: Can Decades of Experience Fill the Void?
There is a veteran JMM leader who can be useful to Hemant Soren at this stage: Sarfaraz Ahmed.
Ahmed has spent more than four decades in politics and has been a member of different legislative houses. Gandey was also the constituency from where Kalpana Soren made her electoral debut.
His decades-long understanding of politics could now prove useful not only in Gandey and Giridih but also in the wider state politics of Jharkhand.
Sonu had youth, organisational energy and an understanding of the ground. Ahmed brings something different—experience accumulated over decades.
The JMM may need both.
The Alliance Equation: How CPI(ML)’s Vinod Singh Fits Into Hemant’s Inner Circle
Vinod Singh, the former Bagodar MLA and CPI(ML) leader who contested the Koderma Lok Sabha election as an INDIA bloc candidate, is another seasoned leader whose experience could prove useful to the alliance.
When Hemant Soren was sent to jail in 2024, there was considerable uncertainty over whether the JMM-led alliance would be able to keep the government together.
Singh was among the leaders involved in the political process that eventually helped the alliance navigate that difficult period.
His experience in alliance politics and his understanding of Jharkhand’s opposition politics could remain useful to the INDIA bloc.
Can Anyone Replace Hemant Soren’s Ultimate Troubleshooter?
Sudivya Kumar Sonu’s death is therefore not simply the loss of a two-term MLA.
For Hemant Soren, it is the loss of a trusted lieutenant.
For the JMM, it is the loss of a strategist.
And for Giridih, it is the sudden disappearance of a leader who had built his own political space in a constituency where the party had historically struggled to dominate urban politics.
Hemant Soren has experienced leaders around him. Kalpana Soren has emerged as a new political face. Sarfaraz Ahmed brings decades of experience. The wider INDIA bloc also has leaders such as Vinod Singh.
But Sudivya Sonu had something that cannot simply be transferred from one politician to another.
He had been there.
He had seen the crises, fought the elections, understood the people and, most importantly, remained with the Soren family when the political winds were not favourable.
That is why September 6 is not merely the date when JMM lost a minister and Giridih lost an MLA.
It is the date when Hemant Soren lost one of the men he could call when the political crisis arrived.
The question now is: who will pick up that phone?
