Champai Soren in denial with the policies of JMM driving him to join BJP!

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on August 30, 2024, ahead of the state assembly elections.

Soren quit the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on August 28, citing disagreements with the current government’s policies. He joins a list of former CMs who rebelled against their parties, only to face limited success. Amarinder Singh, former Punjab CM, stepped down in November 2021 after a feud with Navjot Singh Sidhu. Singh formed his party, Punjab Lok Congress, but lost in the 2022 elections and later merged with the BJP. Narayan Rane, former Maharashtra CM, was expelled from Shiv Sena in 2005 and joined Congress, only to quit in 2017 and launch his party. He now serves as a Lok Sabha member from the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency.

Jitan Ram Manjhi, former Bihar CM, resigned in 2015 and floated his party, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular). He allied with the BJP and later joined the Mahagathbandhan, only to return to the NDA fold. Jagadish Shettar, former Karnataka CM, rebelled against the BJP in 2023 but returned to the party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Vijay Bahuguna, former Uttarakhand CM, rebelled against the Congress government in 2016 and joined BJP but currently holds no prominent position. These examples illustrate that rebelling against one’s party often leads to limited success and, in some cases, a decline in political influence. Soren’s move to BJP will be closely watched, especially with the Jharkhand assembly elections approaching.