Founder member of JMM Simon Marandi passes away in Kolkata, CM and others mourn demise

Pakur/Ranchi: Founding member of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and former minister Simon Marandi passed away in a private hospital in Kolkata.

For the last one month he was admitted at the Rabindra Nath Tagore Hospital in Kolkata where he was battling various health related ailments including those related to his heart. Family members said that Simon Marandi breathed his last at around 0030 hrs.

For the past one month his MLA son Dinesh William Marandi and other members of the family were in Kolkata to look after him. His mortal remains will be now brought to his residence at Hiranpur of Pakur on Tuesday and his last rites will be held at his ancestral village of Dumariya located in Littipada block on Wednesday.

Simon Marandi had represented Rajmahal seat in Loksabha on two occasions while he had held the seat of Littipada on five occasions. Due to his gentle nature and humbleness he was popularly known as 'Simon Da' and was just 'Dada' for his supporters.

He was one of the pillars of JMM who had worked to strengthen the roots of the party across all the six districts of the Santhal Pargana division. Simon Marandi was one of the key people responsible for making Shibu Soren as 'Dishom Guru' in the area. Simon Da had started his political life since his student days itself. He in the year 1977 for the first time got elected from Littipada seat as an Independent candidate by defeating Marang Murmu by 149 voted. Later he joined hands with Shibu Soren and formed the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

In the year 1989 he got elected to Lok Sabha from Rajmahal seat after which he gave the Littipada seat to his wife Sushila Hansda who also represented it for many occasions. Currently his son Dinesh William Marandi is an MLA from the seat.

Simon Marandi represented Littipada on five occasions including in 1977, 1980,1985, 2009 and 2017. In 2014 he left the JMM and joined the BJP and contested the assembly elections in which he lost and shortly returned back to the JMM and contested the bypolls of Littipada seat in 2017 and again reached into the assembly.

In the assembly elections of 2019 due to bad health his son Dinesh William contested the polls and emerged victorious. Simon Marandi got elected as MP from Rajmahal twice in 1989 and 1991. He was also a minister in Hemant Soren government in the year 2013. His wife Sushila Hansda was an MLA from Littipada for four consecutive terms from 1990 to 2009.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren has described the demise of Simon Da as an irreparable loss. He said that Simon Da will be always missed for his special contribution to the Jharkhand statehood movement. He prayed to the almighty to rest his soul in peace and give strength to his family members and supporters to overcome the burden of loss.

Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda has also expressed grief over the passing away of Simon Marandi.

JPCC Chief Dr Rameshwar Oraon, cabinet ministers of the Congress party including Aalamgir Aalam,  Badal and Banna Gupta have also expressed their grief over demise of Simon Marandi.