Champai Soren, the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, has resigned, marking a momentous political move only five months into his tenure. This action prepares the previous chief minister, Hemant Soren, to take over as leader again. Sworn in on February 2, Champai Soren, a prominent member of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and widely seen as the party’s third in charge, took office soon after Hemant Soren was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate for land fraud.
On June 28, the Jharkhand High Court gave Hemant Soren bail after he was found “innocent.” He was then freed to go back to his position as the state’s leader as the State Government’s ruling party members who included JMM, Congress, RJD, and CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation circuits together reinstating him.
Champai Soren tendered his resignation to Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan on Wednesday evening. Speaking in Hindi, Champai Soren said, “When the leadership had changed, I was given responsibility. You know the sequence of events. After Hemant Soren came back, we (the coalition) picked him as our leader and I resigned. I am following the decision taken by the coalition.”
Hemant Soren, who was there when Champai Soren announced his retirement, promised to reveal more information later and withheld specifics of his swearing-in ceremony. Earlier that day, the JMM had elected Hemant Soren as the legislature party leader, paving the way for his return as chief minister. This decision came amidst strong speculation that Champai Soren would continue as chief minister until the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections, scheduled for later this year if the coalition emerged victorious.
Sources indicated that Champai Soren, who is expected to be named the JMM’s Executive President, felt insulted by the decision to step down. He reportedly expressed his dissatisfaction during a party meeting. At a meeting at Champai Soren’s home, the leadership of the ruling coalition agreed about Hemant Soren’s homecoming. State President Rajesh Thakur, Congressman Ghulam Ahmad Mir, who oversees Jharkhand, and MLA Kalpana Soren, who is married to Hemant Soren, were present at the meeting.
The coalition’s decision aims to present Hemant Soren as the party’s face in the upcoming elections. The JMM holds 27 seats in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, while Congress has 18 seats, and the RJD and CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation each have one seat. The BJP, with 24 MLAs, criticized the move, reiterating its allegations of dynastic politics against the Soren family.
This political shift reveals the ruling coalition’s calculated moves in anticipation of the upcoming election contest, with Hemant Soren leading the charge once more.
