Former Jharkhand chief minister and senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Champai Soren lands in Delhi today speculation of him joining the BJP. There have been speculations regarding his possible defection in the run-up to this year's Jharkhand assembly elections.
Soon after arriving at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi, Soren said, "I have come here for my personal work," ignoring enquiries about the possible defection.
Sources claim that yesterday in Kolkata, the BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari met with the former chief minister of Jharkhand. Soren has been accompanied by four other JMM leaders on his trip to the nation's capital.
However, Soren has openly denied the rumours. "I'm not aware of any such rumours or conjecture... I am where I am "On Saturday, he declared.
In February of this year, Soren became the Chief Minister of Jharkhand after Hemant Soren was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a well-known money laundering case. His time as Jharkhand's 12th Chief Minister was short-lived, as he resigned in July to allow Hemant Soren to take over as the state's leader.
Speculation has been fuelled by Soren's visit to Delhi, especially as he is scheduled to meet with BJP leaders while there. This transpires following his previous encounter with former JMM lawmaker Lobin Hembrom, who is purportedly in communication with leaders of the BJP. Mr. Soren, however, minimised the importance of this meeting by characterising it as a standard conversation. The anti-defection rule recently resulted in Mr. Hembrom's disqualification as a JMM MLA.
