Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren will officially join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on August 30, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed on Monday.
Sarma put an end to speculations on Soren's future in a post on social media. This comes after the pair met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi today.
"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 the @BJP4India on 30th August in Ranchi," the Assam Chief Minister wrote on X.
Amid political turmoil in the state following the arrest of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Hemant Soren's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate earlier this year, his close aide Champai Soren took charge on February 2.
However, just five months into his tenure, Champai Soren stepped aside on July 4 paving the way for Hemant's swearing-in following his release.
Earlier this month, Champai Soren sparked speculations over his political future after stating that he had three options on his table. In a detailed post on 'X', the 67-year-old talked about arriving at the decision following significant "soul searching".
The JMM leader had previously expressed pain over the way he was treated by his own party and said that “he was devastated as his self-respect was harmed” when he was asked to resign from his post after Hemant Soren was released on bail.
Champai Soren's post on 'X' read, “I was broken from within. I could not understand what to do. For two days, I sat quietly and introspected, kept searching for my mistake in the whole incident. I did not have the greed for power even a bit, but to whom could I show this blow to my self-respect? Where could I express the pain inflicted by my people?"
He wrote, "With a heavy heart, I said in the same meeting of the legislative party that - "A new chapter of my life is going to start from today." I had three options in this. First, to retire from politics, second, to form my own separate organization and third, if I find a companion on this path, then to travel further with him."