Ranchi: In a significant political development, former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Champai Soren joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday. His decision to switch parties comes shortly after he resigned from his ministerial position in the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Cabinet and quit the JMM, a party he had been associated with for many years.

Champai Soren officially joined the BJP in Ranchi, in the presence of Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi. His move is seen as a major boost for the BJP in Jharkhand, especially ahead of the upcoming elections.

In his resignation letter, Champai Soren expressed deep disappointment with the current state government, citing its "present style of functioning and policies" as the primary reasons for his departure. He stated that the party had deviated from its core principles, which led him to take the difficult decision to resign from the JMM.

“Today, I resigned from the primary membership and all posts of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. I will continue to fight on the issues of tribals, Dalits, backward and common people of Jharkhand,” Soren wrote. He emphasized that while the JMM had been like a family to him, the turn of events in recent times left him with no choice but to leave the party with much pain.

Champai Soren, who briefly served as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand after Hemant Soren's resignation in February due to his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case, has now aligned himself with the BJP, signaling a significant shift in Jharkhand’s political landscape.