Jharkhand: Crisis For Hemant Soren As Champai Soren's BJP Talks Fuel Speculation Of Defections

With elections coming up, defections are inevitable. In Jharkhand, speculations are rife that the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) will soon be at the receiving end of it.

In the power corridors of Jharkhand, news about former chief minister Champai Soren joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to be a question of when, not if.

According to news reports, Champai has already held two rounds of discussions with Arjun Munda, and currently he is in Delhi to hold discussions with Home Minister Amit Shah.

After discussions, Champai and a few other members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) are expected to join the BJP.

Champai took charge of Jharkhand on 2 February 2024 in the aftermath of Chief Minister Hemant Soren going to jail on a corruption charge.

Champai's resignation is attributed to Hemant's coming out of jail and playing victim to gain sympathy among tribal voters.

In the process, Champai’s tenure was reduced to a stop-gap arrangement, which he is said to be unhappy about.

Champai is a senior leader of JMM and played a crucial role in the formation of the state. For many, he is in the league of Shibu Soren, JMM’s patriarch and hero of the Jharkhand movement. Champai could even have been a replacement for Shibu, but Shibu went ahead with his son, Hemant.

For his active role in the formation of Jharkhand, Champai is known as 'Jharkhand’s tiger'. His down-to-earth image is a major reason for his fame.

He is a seven-time MLA from Seraikella constituency and has also served as cabinet minister on multiple occasions. Given that amount of goodwill, he definitely did not deserve secondary status in JMM.

This is what the BJP has been raking up. After his resignation from the chief minister's post, BJP leaders have released multiple statements in his favour. Even in the assembly, BJP leaders were seen appreciating Champai.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, deputed by the BJP for the Jharkhand election, even said that, despite his short stint, Champai performed better than Hemant.

Sarma said further that the populist ‘Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana’, under which women in Jharkhand will be given a monthly incentive of Rs 1,000, is also Champai's brainchild. Sarma criticised Hemant for not using Champai’s photograph or name in advertisements for this scheme.

Along with Champai, Lobin Hembrom and Sameer Mohanty are two others (out of five) that are in talks with the BJP.

Hembrom was expelled from the party after he decided to contest as an independent candidate from the Rajmahal seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Mohanty, who is the JMM MLA from Bahargora, is looking for a second home after getting the signal that he might not get the ticket this time.