Champai Soren to join BJP on August 30; Meets Amit Shah

Former Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren will join the BJP in Ranchi on August 30, announced Assam Chief Minister and BJP's Jharkhand election co-in-charge Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Sharing a picture of Champai Soren meeting Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, Sarma said in a post on X, "Former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and a distinguished Adivasi leader of our country, @ChampaiSoren Ji met Hon’ble Union Home Minister @AmitShah Ji a short while ago. He will officially join the @BJP4India on 30th August in Ranchi."

Recently, there were speculations about him switching from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) after he visited Delhi with some MLAs on August 18.

Later on August 18, he said that he felt "pained" by his people when his programs were canceled three days before the meeting where he was asked to resign as the Chief Minister.

He had said in the statement that he had three options before him: retirement from politics, floating a new party, or joining another "companion". However, he later said on August 21 that he won't retire from politics. "I will either strengthen a new organization or find support in another friend on the way," Champai Soren had said.

Notably, Champai Soren, 67, became Jharkhand Chief Minister after Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 in an alleged land scam case. He stepped down from the post on July 3 after Hemant Soren was granted bail by Jharkhand High Court.