Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren stated that he had no knowledge of the speculations regarding his potential switch to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as reported by certain media outlets on Friday suggesting that he might join the saffron party ahead of the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections.
What Did Champai Soren Say?
“I don’t know anything about such speculations and reports... I am where I am...” he told reporters here before leaving for Jamshedpur.
Soren also said that his meeting with former JMM legislator Lobin Hembrom, who is reportedly in touch with BJP leaders, was a routine affair.
"He (Hembrom) met me, but we had routine discussions," he said.
Hembrom was recently disqualified as a JMM MLA under the anti-defection law.
BJP Reacts To Rumours
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is also the BJP's election co-incharge for Jharkhand and he said, "No one is in touch with us yet. I am also hearing these reports from the channels. Champai Soren is a very senior leader, I do not want to make any informal comment about him."
In a surprising tune of praise unlike towards any other opposition leader, Sarma in a post on X said, "If any work was done in the 5 years of JMM-Cong in Jharkhand, it was done only during the 6 months of Champai Soren's tenure. Now Champai ji's photo has disappeared from every advertisement."
BJP MP Deepak Prakash told media that the decision to include Champai Soren in the party would depend on the central leadership.
Hemant Soren resigned as chief minister on January 31 and was later arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged land scam case. During his absence, Champai Soren served as the acting chief minister from February 2 to July 3. On June 28, Hemant Soren was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court and was re-sworn in as chief minister on July 4, appointing Champai Soren to the Water Resources Department and the portfolios of Higher Education and Technical Education.
The Bharatiya Janata Party at that time criticized the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leadership for how Champai Soren was removed from his position.
Deepak Prakash called the removal as 'unfortunate' and questioned the reasons behind it, emphasizing the dissatisfaction among Jharkhand's 3.5 crore residents.
