Ranchi: Two Political Heavyweights of Jharkhand JMM supremo Dishom Guru Shibu and Leader of the legislature wing of Jharkhand BJP Babulal Marandi turned a year older on Wednesday as both of them celebrated their respective birthdays.
Leaders cutting across party lines including those from the JMM Congress and BJP extended their best wishes to both leaders on the occasion. Chief Minister Hemant Soren himself led the birthday celebrations of his father Shibu Soren accompanied by his MLA brother Basant Soren and other members of the family.
The Chief Minister also took his blessings and presented him with a bouquet and prayed for his well-being and long life as he went to meet him at his residence at Morhabadi. In the presence of a large number of party supporters and leaders including cabinet ministers and MPs Shibu Soren cut a big cake as he turned 79 during which he was accompanied by his wife Rupi Soren and grandchildren.
Shibu Soren was born in Nemra of Ramgarh district on January 11, 1944. He shot into prominence in the 1970s for staging a movement against the Mahajani system.
He worked to unite the tribals and also had to serve prison terms. He is the pioneer of the separate statehood movement for creation of Jharkhand. He had contested the first Lok Sabha polls in 1977 but had lost; however, he emerged victorious in 1980 from Dumka and went on to repeat the seat on numerous occasions.
He also served as the Union Coal Minister in UPA One and despite age catching up with him he is currently serving as Rajya Sabha MP. On the other hand, leader of the legislature wing of BJP Babulal Marandi was born on January 11, 1958 in Kodaibank of Giridih district. After completing his education he got a job as a teacher but he soon left the job and entered into politics.
He was made the organization secretary of Santhal Pargana BJP in 1990 and post the creation of Jharkhand he went on to serve as the first Chief Minister of the state. However he resigned in 2003 and in 2006 he formed the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha Prajatantrik through which he contested the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand in 2009, 2014 and 2019 and in 2020 he merged his regional outfit with the BJP.
Though Babulal Marandi was not present this time in Jharkhand on the occasion of his birthday that did not prevent his supporters from celebrating the occasion as they also cut the cake and distributed items among the needy in the capital.