BJP counts on a Soren to woo tribal votes in Jharkhand

As 'temporary' CM and JMM veteran Champai Soren's switching sides gives BJP leaders a renewed hope ahead of Assembly polls, ruling party claims it will only consolidate Hemant's tribal support base,

-  ADITI PHADNIS

Come September 10, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and newly inducted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Jharkhand chief minister (CM) Champai Soren will address a rally in the Kolhan region to kick off the party's campaign for the state Assembly elections.

Jharkhand, where elections are due by the end of the year, is seeing intensified political exercises, particularly in the tribal-dominated Kolhan region that comprises East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, and Saraikela-Kharsawan covering 14 Assembly seats.

In the 2019 Assembly elections, the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) won 11 seats, while the other three were bagged by the Congress (two) and independent, Saryu Rai. The BJP had drawn a blank. In the recent Lok Sabha elections as well, the BJP lost all the seats reserved for tribals.

Now with Champai, a grand old man of the region, joining their ranks, BJP leaders are optimistic about forming a government in the state. "Getting Champai dada to the BJP is a big, big coup," exulted Pratul Shah Deo, state spokesman for the BJP on the phone from Jamshedpur. "It shows the arrogance and high-handedness of the current JMM leadership," Deo said.

Champai was named the CM earlier this year when JMM chief and founder Shibu Soren's son Hemant stepped down just before his arrest in a money-laundering case. When he was released on bail, Hemant returned to reclaim the post that Champai had to vacate. Although Champai got a bunch of new portfolios, including water resources (which he accepted), he felt an injustice had been done to him.