Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and former Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, said the sources. Champai's arrival in Delhi and his post X in which he expressed disappointment hinted that he may switch sides ahead of the Jharkhand Assembly elections. In an X post, the JMM leaders said he experienced "bitter humiliation" as chief minister and three options are open to him, including floating a new outfit.
His X post came shortly after he reached Delhi amid speculation about a potential switch to the BJP as party supremo and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren accused the saffron party of "poaching" MLAs and "dividing society".
In a statement, Champai Soren alleged that all his government programmes in the first week of July, when he was the chief minister, were abruptly cancelled by the party leadership without his knowledge.
He said he kept quiet as he was not greedy for power but his self-respect was hurt.
"After so much humiliation, I was forced to look for an alternative path," Champai Soren said in a post on his social media. The ex-chief minister said he had announced in the legislative party meeting that "a new chapter in my life is going to begin from today".
"I had three options. First to retire from politics, second to float a separate outfit, and third, if I find any ally, to carry forward with them.
From that day till today, and till the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections, all options are open for me in this journey," he said in a post on X.
Beginning of the downfall of JMM: BJP
BJP leader Babulal Marandi said in reaction to Champai Soren's post that this is "just the beginning of the downfall of JMM, which has deviated from its ideology".
Hemant Soren's reaction on Champai's move
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday accused the saffron camp of "poaching" MLAs and "dividing society".
Addressing a government function in Jharkhand's Godda district, Hemant Soren alleged that the BJP brought people from Gujarat, Assam and Maharashtra to "spread poison among the tribals, Dalits, backward classes and minorities and make them fight with each other".
"Forget about society, these people work to break families and parties.
They poach MLAs. Money is such a thing that it doesn't take long for politicians to move here and there," he said.
Hemant Soren also said that the assembly elections in Jharkhand are due this year but the poll schedule would be "decided by the opposition party in the state, not by the Election Commission".
