RANCHI — Senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader and state Cabinet Minister Sudivya Kumar passed away early Sunday morning after suffering a cardiac arrest. The 56-year-old minister was rushed to a private healthcare facility late Saturday night following complaints of physical discomfort and breathed his last around 4:00 AM while undergoing emergency care. Representing the Giridih assembly constituency, Kumar oversaw multiple ministerial portfolios, including Higher and Technical Education, Urban Development, Tourism, Arts and Culture, and Sports and Youth Affairs. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren expressed profound grief over Kumar’s sudden demise, describing him as a stalwart guide and an elder brother who provided steadfast support through political challenges and personal crises. Soren noted that Kumar’s association with the Jharkhand statehood movement dated back to his work alongside party patriarch Shibu Soren, praising his lifelong dedication to regional identity and social justice. Legislative Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato alongside regional political leaders also conveyed condolences, while the party termed his passing an irreparable blow to both the government and the state.
First elected to the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly from Giridih in 2019, Kumar emerged as an indispensable strategist within the administration, playing a central role in steering organizational cohesion during Soren’s arrest in 2024. In his official capacity just days prior to his passing, he had returned from an interstate official visit to Karnataka, where he met with counterpart ministers to explore collaborative models for ecotourism and hospital-resort infrastructure partnerships to revamp tourism management across Jharkhand.