‘Lion vs Tiger in Kolhan’: Hemant readies plan to take on Champai-BJP — new faces to schemes

He joined the BJP with a large number of supporters in Dhurwa ground in Ranchi in the presence of Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Assam CM Himata Biswa Sarma, who are the BJP’s in-charge for the Jharkhand Assembly elections to be held later this year.

Barely 15 kms away, CM Hemant Soren met poshan sakhis (anganwadi workers-cum-nutritional consultants) at his residence during the day, after his Cabinet approved their reinstatement. Several JMM MLAs from the Kolhan region — Champai’s home turf — also attended this function, including

minister Dipak Birua, Sameer Mohanty, Dasrath Gagrai, Sajiv Sardar, Mangal Kalindi and Niral Putry. The message was clear: The JMM leaders from Kolhan have strongly rallied behind Hemant’s leadership.

Also, on the same day, Ghatshila MLA Ramdas Soren replaced Champai in the Hemant Cabinet after taking oath as a minister.

JMM sources said that Hemant is keen on retaining the party’s supremacy in the Kolhan region – which comprises 14 Assembly seats, including Seraikella, Champai’s constituency, and Ghatshila, Ramdas’s seat – in the upcoming Assembly elections.

In the 2019 polls, the BJP had not been able to win any seat in the Kolhan belt, where 11 seats were won by the JMM, two by its INDIA bloc ally Congress, and one seat by an Independent. By inducting Champai into its fold, the BJP has sought to garner support in the region.

The JMM camp however believes that the tribal voters “do not favour turncoats”. A JMM leader said: “A popular leader like Geeta Koda who went to the BJP lost in the Lok Sabha recently. Kunal Sarangi, a rising star in the JMM who switched to the BJP before the 2019 Assembly elections, lost to the JMM candidate. Tribal community is very clear: they don’t like turncoats and backstabbers. We are counting on it, and will work accordingly.”

Another JMM leader said, “In Seraikella, Champai has usually won by 1,000-2,500 votes margin. In 2019 polls, he had won by over 15,000 votes due to Hemant wave. He ran for Lok Sabha in 2019, but lost by over 3 lakh votes. Champai’s candidate Samir Mohanty too lost by about 2.60 lakh votes from Jamshedpur in the recent Lok Sabha polls,” adding that Champai’s popularity has its “limitations” on his own home turf.

A source close to the CM said: “In Hemant’s absence, Champai wanted to become a mass leader in Kolhan by ensuring his candidates in the Lok Sabha, but it did not succeed due to various factors. Champai could not get Jobha Manjhi – who won from Chaibasa seat in the Lok Sabha polls – to lead from his Seraikella Assembly segment. This was the only segment where the JMM trailed in the Chaibasa Lok Sabha constituency. So as of now we are not worried. However, we are cautious because we cannot attack Champai. And so is Champai, who is not attacking Hemant Soren directly. Thus, currently a proxy war is on between them.”

This is not the first time the JMM is facing a challenge. In 2021, Hemant’s aide Pankaj Mishra was arrested in an alleged illegal mining case in which the CM was questioned. Then in 2022, a controversy erupted over Hemant owning a stone mine himself, which he later surrendered. This matter was sent to the Election Commission by the Raj Bhavan to examine whether it was an office for profit case, whose opinion has not been made public yet.

Then the ED began questioning Hemant in connection with an alleged land scam in which he was arrested and jailed early this year, which prompted his resignation and Champai’s appointment as the CM. On June 28, however, Hemant was released on bail granted by the High Court, which led to his taking charge as the CM again on July 4 by replacing Champai.

A senior JMM leader said: “Since 2021-end, our government has been on tenterhooks. However, with each crisis, Hemant has emerged stronger. He was even arrested, but then his wife Kalpana took the baton and enthused the JMM cadre. Champai’s switch to the BJP is a blessing in disguise for the party as with the old guard gone now Hemant will have freedom and space to reorganise and rejuvenate the party with the help of young leaders ahead of the Assembly polls.”

Hemant has been attending several events in the division headquarters across the state to roll out his government’s new scheme, “Maiyya Samman Yojna”, which provides Rs 1,000 per month to every woman aged 21 and above from poor households. On August 27, Hemant attended a programme in Dumka in this regard.

Interestingly, the Kolhan division’s headquarter Chaibasa was not chosen for a similar event on August 28, which was instead held in Seraikella. A JMM source said: “Seraikella was a conscious choice. Over one lakh people attended the function to listen to Hemant. It was a message to the ‘Tiger’(Champai Soren) that the ‘Lion (Hemant Soren)’ has come to Kolhan.”

A veteran of the Jharkhand statehood movement, Champai is often called the “Tiger of Kolhan” by his supporters.