'Have come here for personal work': JMM's Champai Soren reaches Delhi amid buzz of joining BJP

Former Jharkhand chief minister and senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Champai Soren arrived in Delhi today amid buzz of a possible switch to the BJP.  Soon after arriving at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Soren, ignored questions on the potential defection and said, "I have come here for my personal work." 

Former Jharkhand chief minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Champai Soren on Sunday dismissed the speculations of him switching sides and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Amid rumours of a potential BJP move, Champai landed in the nation's capital of Delhi on Sunday afternoon with his personal entourage. He claimed to have travelled to Delhi for private business. “My Daughter leaves here  and I came here to meet her, I used to come Delhi on regular basis. Abhi hum jahan par hai, wahi par hai (We are where we are right now)”, he said while speaking to the reporters.

While refuting the reports of him meeting West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, Champai said, “I have not met anyone. I have come here for personal work…” On Sunday, Champai and six JMM MLAs—Chamra Linda, Dashrath Gagrai, Sameer Mohanty, Sukhram Uraon, Ramdas Soren, and Sanjeev Sardar—were said to be joining the saffron side.

The JMM leader was anointed to the top post after Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case.  After Hemant Soren was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court, Champai resigned from his position on July 3. 

According to some media reports, he was unhappy with the way he was unceremoniously removed from the Chief Minister’s post to make way for Hemant Soren to become CM again.

The timing of Soren's visit to Delhi has fueled speculation, particularly as he is set to meet with BJP leaders during his stay. This development comes on the heels of his recent meeting with former JMM legislator Lobin Hembrom, who is also reportedly in contact with BJP leaders.

The BJP recently held meetings with district heads in Jharkhand and key leaders, including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.