
Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren Joins BJP
Champai Soren, the former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on August 30, 2023, ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. This move comes after Soren's resignation from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on August 28, 2023.
Soren, along with a significant number of his supporters, switched allegiance to the BJP in the presence of Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Soren, who had served as a minister in the Hemant Soren cabinet, cited the state government's "present style of functioning and policies" as the reason for his departure from the JMM.
Soren had briefly served as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand from February 2, 2023, after Hemant Soren resigned from the post following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case. Champai Soren stepped down from the CM post on July 3, 2023, paving the way for Hemant Soren's return as Chief Minister on July 4, 2023, after his release on bail.
Reports suggest that Champai Soren was unhappy with the abrupt manner in which he was removed from the CM post to facilitate Hemant Soren's return. He reportedly felt "insulted" by the way he was sidelined.
Meanwhile, JMM legislator Ramdas Soren was sworn in as a minister in the Hemant Soren government on August 30, 2023. Ramdas Soren replaced Champai Soren in the state cabinet.