May 5, 2014
If elected, Uma Soren would be the first woman Santhal MP of India
Her father was a Group D employee in theIndian Railways. Her family – comprising two brothers and her parents – haslived through abject poverty. She struggled against all odds to pursue hereducation. She is the bhoomikanya ofJangalmahal Uma Soren. She is preparing for her post-doctoral course now. Ifshe is elected from Jhargram Lok Sabha constituency as a representative of theTrinamool Congress, she will become the first woman Santhal MP of India.
Uma Soren completed her course in medicinetwo years ago. She practices medicine in Jhargram. Her main contender isanother doctor – Pulinbihari Baske of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).Uma Soren lives in a simple one-storey house in Jhargram town. She is oftenaccused of being a recluse. But over the last few months she has been goingfrom door to door to connect to the voters. Incidentally, the political bannersand hoardings in her constituency do not have her photo, only Didi`s. Partyworkers too are working hard to see her win in the forthcoming elections.
Uma Soren says, “We have seen deaths due tostarvation and violence in the past. But now they are history. A lot ofdevelopment has happened in the last three years under the leadership of MamataBanerjee. She lives in the hearts of people. I am ready to sacrifice my lifefor her.”
Her message towards Dalit women is, “MamataBanerjee has shown us how to dream for a better future. You too should teachyour children to plan for their future. Turning Didi`s dreams into reality isour aim.”
“Jangalmahal lived in abject poverty untila few years ago. There was no development. People were terrorised due to theviolence. The tides have turned. Jangalmahal is smiling again. People do notwant the dark days of the past to return” says the MLA of Salboni, SrikantaPatra.
The Jhargram Parliamentary Constituencyconsists of seven Assembly segments – Nayagram, Gopiballavpur, Jhargram,Garbeta, Salboni, Binpur and Bandoan. In 2011, Trinamool won 4 out of these 7Assembly seats. In 2013, Trinamool won all the Gram Panchayats and PanchayatSamitis. Trinamool also has the Paschim Medinipur Zilla Parishad under itscontrol. Jhargram municipality is also with Trinamool. Naturally, Uma is morepopular than the CPI(M) candidate in Jhargram.
