Narendra Modi and Champai Soren (L-R)
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Former Jharkhand chief minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha rebel Champai Soren will join the Bharatiya Janata Party. While there were speculations around the same, Assam CM and BJP’s Jharkhand in-charge Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that Soren will join the party later this week.
In a post on X, Sarma said that Soren, who he described as “former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and a distinguished Adivasi leader of our country” met union home minister Amit Shah on Monday in Delhi. “He will officially join the @BJP4India on 30th August in Ranchi,” Sarma posted along with a picture of the meeting.
Soren, who was made the chief minister of Jharkhand after Hemant Soren was sent to jail, had earlier said that he felt “humiliated” in the party. He was removed from the top post after Hemant was released from jail.
In a long post on X, Soren said that he had three options now: “First, to retire from politics, second, to form my own separate organisation and third, if I find a companion on this path, then to travel further with him. From that day till today, and till the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections, all options are open for me in this journey.”
Last week, Soren, who was camping in Delhi, said that he was forming his own party. But on Monday, speaking to reporters, BJP strongman Sarma invited him to join the BJP instead. The BJP is looking to benefit from his supporter base in the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections.
A longtime aide of JMM founder, Shibu Soren, Champai has been unhappy with the rise of Hemant’s wife Kalpana. Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand assembly are scheduled to be held in November–December this year.