Champai Soren quits as Jharkhand chief minister, Hemant Soren stakes claim to form govt

Champai Soren on Wednesday tendered his resignation to Governor CP Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhavan in Ranchi to set the stage for Hemant Soren to take over as the next chief minister of Jharkhand. After tendering his resignation to the governor, Champai Soren said he resigned as the Jharkhand chief minister after the alliance unanimously took the decision to elect Hemant Soren as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislature party leader.

“A few days ago, I was made the chief minister and I got the responsibility of the state. After Hemant Soren was back, our alliance took this decision and we chose Hemant Soren as our leader. Now, I have resigned from the post of chief minister,” Champai Soren told the media outside the Raj Bhavan.

Reports earlier indicated that Champai Soren felt “insulted” when the decision was made to replace him with Hemant Soren during the meeting. However, he clarified that he had resigned willingly.

“We all know what happened with Hemant Soren and he was forced to resign. Our alliance, however, is strong and we have made a leadership change today. Hemant Soren has been selected as the alliance's legislature party leader and I have resigned willingly,” he said.

According to the reports, Hemant Soren has reached the Raj Bhavan to stake a claim to form the next government, showing his strength. If invited, Hemant Soren will become the 13th chief minister of Jharkhand.

After staking a claim to form government in Jharkhand, Hemant Soren said, “The CM [Champai Soren] has told you everything. We will tell you everything in detail. We have followed all procedures.”

Hemant Soren was elected legislature party leader on Wednesday, July 3, after a consensus between the MLAs and leaders of the alliance of the JMM, Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

‘Jharkhand Tiger’ Champai Soren was elected chief minister of Jharkhand on February 2, days after Hemant Soren resigned before his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to a land scam. Five months later, Hemant Soren was granted bail, setting off his release from jail on June 28.