Former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and JMM leader Champai Soren will join the Bharatiya Janata Party on August 30 in Ranchi, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said late on Monday. Sarma said this after he and Soren had a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.
"Former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and a distinguished Adivasi leader of our country, Champai Soren met Union Home Minister Amit Shah a short while ago. He will officially join the BJP on 30th August in Ranchi," Sarma, announced on X. Sarma, who is BJP in-charge of Jharkhand, also shared a picture of the meeting.
Champai Soren had earlier hinted at forming a new party, after he took to social media to voice his grievances. He alleged that he was ‘insulted’ during his tenure as chief minister and that all options remained open ahead of the forthcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections.
Champai also listed various instances when he was not allowed to call a meeting of the legislative party and was suddenly asked to resign, which prompted him ‘to look for an alternative path.’
"I have been trying to get the rights of the tribals, natives, poor, labourers, students and people of backward classes of the state. Whether I held any post or not, I was always available to the public, raising the issues of those people who had dreamt of a better future with the state of Jharkhand," he said.
JMM Leader Manoj Pandey, responding to Champai's BJP joining, said it pained, but now the situation is clear. He said only time will tell the impact of the former chief minister's switch.
“History has proven that those who have left JMM and joined some other party, have not been given that respect...BJP's existence is dependent on our leaders...They (BJP) have no face of theirs...Till the time Champai Soren is in our party he has his stature and has an importance. As soon as he leaves our party, I feel that the people will also leave him,” Pandey was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The political developments come in the run-up to assembly elections in Jharkhand scheduled later this year. The tenure of the Jharkhand assembly ends on January 5, 2025, and a new government has to be sworn in before that.
The ruling coalition has to fight anti-incumbency to seek re-election in the state. In 2019, the JMM won 30 seats in the 81-member House. The BJP won 25 and the Congress won 16 seats. Eventually, JMM-Congress-RJD stitched up an alliance and Hemant Soren was sworn in as CM unseating the BJP government led by Raghubar Das.
Tension has been simmering in both the Hemant and Champai camps in the JMM over the transition of power on July 3. Champai had to resign as chief minister, just a day before Hemant Soren, the JMM executive president, was sworn in as chief minister once again on July 4. Hemant Soren was released from jail on June 28 after being granted bail by the high court in connection with a money-laundering case.
(With ANI inputs)
