The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Jharkhand CM and JMM leader Hemant Soren in January this year on charges of money laundering and land scam. Following his arrest, Soren resigned as the chief minister of Jharkhand and Champai Soren was made new CM in February. Champai resigned in July, Hemant was given bail in June and reclaimed his position of CM in the state. Champai Soren later joined BJP alleging that he was humiliated by leaders of JMM.
Hemant Soren was the incumbent CM of Jharkhand at the time of being investigated by ED. The ED has accused him of running a scheme to manipulate records, via fictitious transactions and forged documents, and acquired 8.86 acres of land in Ranchi worth crores. He skipped nine summons from the ED, and was declared by ED has “untraceable” and “missing” for 30 hours on January 29. On January 30, he arrived at his official residence in Ranchi, handed his resignation to Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan and was arrested by ED on January 31. Champai Soren was immediately appointed by Radhakrishnan as the replacement for Hemant Soren as CM. He took the oath as Jharkhand CM on February 2, 2024.
Jharkhand High Court granted bail to Hemant Soren on June 28 for a payment of a bail bond of ₹ 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount each. The court in its order- “broad probabilities do not specifically, or indirectly, assign the petitioner to be involved in the acquisition and possession, as well as concealment (of land)”. He was out after spending nearly 5 months in jail.
July 3, 2024, Champai resigns from his post of CM. Following this, Hemant Soren put forward his claim of forming the government to the Governor Radhakrishnan. It was accepted and Hemant is again the Chief Minister of Jharkhand. “A few days ago, I was made the Chief Minister and I got the responsibility of the state. After Hemant Soren was back, our alliance took this decision and we chose Hemant Soren as our leader. Now, I have resigned from the post of Chief Minister,” Champai told the media.
Another twist in the tale came in August. Champai Soren resigned from JMM and his ministerial role. He alleged the party of humiliating him. There is also an angle of spying on Soren. BJP state president Babulal Marandi demanded an investigation by a sitting High Court judge. Marandi said, “Two special branch officials have been arrested in Delhi and there are allegations of attempts to honey trap Champai Soren ji. This is a serious issue. Champai’s short tenure was marred with instability. His dissatisfaction was further fueled by abrupt cancellations of his government programs in July. He said that BJP is the only party serious about addressing the issues of tribals, Dalits and other marginalized communities in the state. He was also unhappy with infiltrations from Bangladesh in Santhal Pargana which he believes threatens tribal identity and local society. His strategic move to BJP is backed by his efforts to find solutions for these issues, and also because BJP embraced him with dignity.
आज झारखंड मुक्ति मोर्चा की प्राथमिक सदस्यता एवं सभी पदों से त्याग-पत्र दिया।
झारखंड के आदिवासियों, मूलवासियों, दलितों, पिछड़ों एवं आम लोगों के मुद्दों को लेकर हमारा संघर्ष जारी रहेगा। pic.twitter.com/ZpAmm2dopr
— Champai Soren (@ChampaiSoren) August 28, 2024
Champai Soren will contest on a BJP ticket against JMM’s Ganesh Mahali in Seraikella. He is also known as the “Jharkhand’s Tiger” for his contribution in 1990s in getting a separate state for the region of Jharkhand, which was a part of (then) undivided Bihar. His allegations and the way JMM handled this Champai-Hemant CM situation can be pivotal in deciding the fate of the elections. Champai Soren’s decision to leave JMM and join rival BJP-led NDA leaves a dent in JMM and Mahagathbandhan as a whole.
It gave NDA a luxury to attack Mahagathbandhan on the grounds of ‘Dynasty Politics’. Hemant Soren is the son of former Jharkhand CM and JMM founder Shibu Soren. Dynasty Politics is one of the key talking point in Jharkhand politics. Champai Soren’s exit is also attributed to the same by leaders from the opposition.
