Former Jharkhand CM Champai Soren joins BJP days after quitting JMM

Champai Soren joined the saffron camp during a ceremony in Ranchi, with Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in attendance

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren on Friday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a few days after quitting the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

Champai joined the saffron camp during a ceremony in Ranchi, with Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in attendance.

Champai, 67, led the JMM-led government in Jharkhand during a political crisis that arose from the arrest of Hemant Soren in a money laundering case earlier this year. His tenure as the CM was brief, lasting from February 2 to July 3. He resigned when Hemant Soren returned as CM on July 4.

He had expressed his disappointment over his forced resignation from the CM post, which he described as "bitter humiliation.”

"During the meeting (legislative party meeting on July 3), I was asked to resign…Since I had no desire for power, I resigned immediately. However, my self-respect was deeply hurt," Champai had posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Considered a loyalist to JMM patriarch Shibu Soren, Champai said he was compelled to leave the party because of the state government's present style of functioning and its policies. 

Champai to play key role in BJP

Known as the 'Jharkhand's Tiger' for his contribution to the fight to create a separate state in the 1990s, Champai is now expected to play a key role in bringing the BJP closer to the tribal communities. These communities, which constitute approximately 26 per cent of the electorate, had previously rejected the saffron party's bid in the 2019 elections.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP failed to secure any of the five reserved seats for Scheduled Tribes. Additionally, in the 2019 Assembly elections, the party won only two out of the 28 ST reserved seats in the state.

Before becoming the CM, Champai was serving as the state transport minister in the Hemant-led government. His political journey began in 1991 when he was elected as an independent MLA from the Saraikela seat.

The elections to the 81-member Assembly are due later this year.