What Made Champai Soren Contemplate Leaving JMM?

It was January 31, 2024. Outside the Chief Minister’s house in Ranchi, hundreds of media persons and JMM supporters were waiting to hear the ‘name’. Who is going to be the next (read interim) CM of Jharkhand if Hemant Soren is arrested? The ED was about to come any time. From the hallway, a voice came: “He has named Champai Soren”. Amidst the buzz of ‘breaking news’, Jharkhand politics embraced a different political future--a future infested with contest and negotiations.

That day Hemant Soren didn’t think twice before naming Champai Soren, recall people close to the power circle within JMM. “He is one of the senior-most leaders of the party and Guruji (Shibu Soren) himself brought him to politics. So, he deserves it,” they said. But in five months, the situation has altered considerably. Champai Soren is now in New Delhi, carefully waiting to take the next step; a step that can probably change the political dynamics of Jharkhand forever.

When Hemant Soren came out on bail in early June, things changed suddenly and drastically. As per Champai’s tweet, all his official programmes were cancelled on June 3 after Hemant came out of jail. He was told that there would be meeting of the party high command. The next move was anticipated--he was asked to resign as CM. But Champai didn’t take it lightly.

One of the closest aides of the former CM, while talking to Outlook, said: “He is a veteran leader and he won’t ever do anything to harm the party. But he is definitely not happy with the decision. Why did they rush? It was just a matter of three months and after the elections, he (Hemant) could have got back his chair.”

His good relations with Hemant Soren were also invoked and the source said, “As a senior leader of the party, he always considered Hemant as his son and never had any intention to grab power. When Kalpana Soren became the main face of the INDIA bloc in the Lok Sabha elections, he supported her in whatever ways possible.”

Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren became the sought-after face of the INDIA bloc in Jharkhand during the Lok Sabha elections even though she was fighting an Assembly by-election to Gandey constituency. Her popularity reached such an extent that at a rally in Kodarma, JMM leadership struggled to keep the audience for the then CM’s speech. “It is only for Kalpana Di, we are here,” said the supporters. The unexpectedly good performance of JMM in the Lok Sabha polls--five out of five ST seats--further strengthened the argument that Kalpana should lead the party. There were also whispers that she would be given a Cabinet berth if the party comes to power again in 2024.

However, it was beyond the imagination of many that Champai would go to the extent of meeting with BJP leaders and would post a long tweet saying he was left with only three options: “to retire, to join a different party or to start a new party”. Prior to coming to Delhi, Champai went to Kolkata to meet BJP leader Subhendu Adhikari. However, in Delhi, till now there is no such news of him meeting BJP leaders.

‘Operation Lotus’?

JMM leaders think that these developments are part of the BJP’s ‘Operation Lotus,’ which has failed in Jharkhand several times. Dr. Tanuj Khetri, a young leader of JMM who has been working very closely with both Hemant and Kalpana Soren, says, “BJP is like that undisciplined student who never studies throughout the year and tries to make chits before the exams and gets caught by the invigilator! As elections are at the doors, they are trying to divide the party.”

On the decision of Hemant to remove Champai as the CM after he got out on bail, Khetri adds, “In 2019, people voted based on the face of Hemant Soren. He had to resign as the BJP conspired against him and used the ED to arrest him in a false case that doesn’t have any evidence. So, it was an interim period of five months. Champai Soren is a senior and very respected leader. He would take the best decision in the interest of the state.”

Congress, the main alliance partner of JMM, also believes that Champai would continue contributing to the alliance and would lead INDIA to victory. “Champai Soren is a very senior leader and the Congress believes that he would take part in driving out BJP from the state,” says Kumar Raja, a leader of Jharkhand Congress. The JMM senior leadership, nevertheless, has maintained strategic silence on the development. Senior leader and the national spokesperson of the party, Supriyo Bhattacharya, says, “It is impossible to comment on anything right now. We will come up with our responses as soon the things become clear.”

The BJP is also treading very carefully. Former CM and union minister Arjun Munda said, “We must wait. Whatever is there is in front of us. We will tell you at the right time. The anguish written by Champai Soren (in twitter) shows the nepotism within JMM.” He also said that the party was open to all.

Another former CM of Jharkhand, Babulal Marandi, earlier said that no Adivasi leader would be allowed to take the lead except those from the Soren family. Notably, all of the former CMs of Jharkhand – Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda, Madhu Koda, Raghubar Das (current governor of Odisha) are now with the BJP.

Sources say that Champai Soren will be back to Jharkhand soon. This is, however, not the first time that senior leaders of the party have gotten offended. Lobin Hembram, who fought the Lok Sabha elections as an independent as he was denied ticket, says he has not been happy with the way the ‘party is functioning’.

As the elections are round the corner and Champai has a good hold in the Kolhan region with its 14 assembly seats, the JMM high command is on its toes to solve the differences, say sources. But if Champai joins the BJP, it will be political suicide given his credibility among Adivasis, note some party leaders on the condition of anonymity.