Suman Mahto at her office in Kadma on Thursday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Sept. 23: After stints of being MP and JMM general secretary, Suman Mahto is ready for her new job.

She is keen to awaken the JMM’s dormant women’s wing by inducting young and committed members. “The Mahila Morcha is not active. I want to activate it by starting a membership drive,” Suman, who was appointed chief of the party women’s wing, said.

The 43-year was handed over the responsibility on the concluding day of the JMM workers’ convention at Dumka yesterday. “I take this responsibility as a challenge. I will try to put the women's wing back on tracks. I will not disappoint party supremo Shibu Soren,” she said, after arriving to a rousing welcome at her Kadma office this afternoon.

Suman said she would shortly undertake a tour of East Singhbhum to strengthen the wing at the panchayat, block and district level.

Besides Jharkhand, she will also look after the JMM women’s wing in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. “I’ll visit these states to interact with women. But to start with I have to focus on East Singhbhum. I also want to form a team as early as possible,” Suman, wife of slain JMM MP Sunil Mahto, added.

She admitted that she was not very conversant with women members of her party but would try to interact with them during her tour of the district.

Suman said the Mahila Morcha has failed to make much headway since its formation six years ago. “There was no one to look after the morcha. But now since Guruji has given me this responsibility, I will try my best to strengthen the wing,” she said, adding that she would like to work as a guardian for women whose families have been committed members of the JMM.

Suman’s five-year-old daughter Arpita was also at the party office to meet her mother. “She missed me a lot after I went to Dumka. I am glad to see her again after almost a week,” Suman said, while accepting a laddoo from the child.

She replied in the negative when asked if she spoke to Soren about her claims for a ticket for the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha by-elections.