Champai Soren to join BJP on August 30, says Himanta Biswa Sarma

NEW DELHI: Disgruntled JMM veteran Champai Soren will make his much-speculated move to BJP this Friday, less than two months after he had to step down as Jharkhand CM to make way for Hemant Soren's return to the helm after getting bail in an alleged land scam. "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 @BJIndia on Aug 30 in Ranchi," Assam CM and BJP's Jharkhand co-incharge Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on X late Monday.

Sources said Champai, who is still a minister in the JMM-led govt, would make the switch along with party colleague Lobin Hembrom. BJP formally invited former Soren to its fold earlier in the day. "I sincerely want Champai ji to join BJP. He is a big leader and should consider joining BJP. Directly or indirectly, I have been talking to him on many occasions, (but) we never had any political discussions," Sarma wrote on X hours before the deal was presumably sealed.