Four Jharkhand ministers have died prematurely during Soren-era governments

THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK

RANCHI, September 6: The sudden demise of Jharkhand minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu has brought back into focus a grim chapter in the state’s recent political history. Four ministers associated with Hemant Soren-led governments have died prematurely since 2020 — Haji Hussain Ansari, Jagarnath Mahto, Ramdas Soren and now Sudivya Kumar Sonu.

Their circumstances were different, with Covid-related complications, cardiac arrest and brain haemorrhage among the causes, but the successive losses have repeatedly disrupted the functioning of the state cabinet and JMM’s political organisation.

Haji Hussain Ansari: First major loss

Haji Hussain Ansari, then Jharkhand’s Minority Welfare Minister, died on October 3, 2020, at the age of 73.

Ansari had tested positive for Covid-19 and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Ranchi. Although he subsequently tested negative, he developed complications and suffered a cardiac arrest. His death came less than a year after Hemant Soren assumed office as Chief Minister.

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Jagarnath Mahto: Long battle with Covid complications

JMM veteran and then Education Minister Jagarnath Mahto died on April 6, 2023, aged 56.

Popularly known as Tiger Mahto, he had suffered severe lung damage after contracting Covid-19 in 2020. He underwent a double-lung transplant in Chennai and returned to public life after a prolonged recovery.

His health deteriorated again in 2023, and he was taken to Chennai for treatment. He died there on April 6.

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Ramdas Soren: Brain haemorrhage

School Education and Literacy Minister Ramdas Soren, 62, died on August 15, 2025, after suffering a serious brain haemorrhage.

Soren had sustained a head injury after a fall at his residence earlier that month and was subsequently shifted to a hospital in Delhi for specialised treatment. His condition remained critical, and he eventually succumbed to the injury.

His death came during an especially difficult period for the JMM, shortly after the demise of party patriarch Shibu Soren.

Sudivya Kumar Sonu: Sudden cardiac arrest

The latest loss is Sudivya Kumar Sonu, who died suddenly after experiencing chest pain and uneasiness at his Giridih residence. He was rushed to a private hospital, but his condition deteriorated rapidly, and doctors could not save him.

Sonu, who held the Higher and Technical Education and Urban Development portfolios, had emerged as an influential figure in the Hemant Soren cabinet. He was regarded as a key trouble-shooter for the Chief Minister and among the more powerful ministers in the government.

He had recently headed the ministerial committee constituted to hold talks with protesting students, making his sudden demise particularly significant at a time when the government was attempting to resolve the prolonged student agitation.

Different causes, a recurring concern

There is no medical evidence to establish that political stress caused any of these deaths. The four cases involved distinctly different circumstances.

Yet the repeated loss of serving ministers has inevitably brought attention to the demanding nature of political office. Ministers operate amid intense public scrutiny, constituency pressures, administrative responsibilities, party expectations and, in politically sensitive situations, the additional burden of negotiations and crisis management.

For the Soren government, the deaths represent not merely personal and political losses but the repeated departure of experienced members of the cabinet at crucial stages of its tenure.