Who is ‘tiger’ Champai Soren, Shibu Soren aide and Jharkhand's new chief minister?

JMM legislature party leader Champai Soren sworn in as chief minister of Jharkhand.

Updated on: Feb 2, 2024, 14:56:31 IST

By HT News Desk

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Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) senior leader Champai Soren was sworn in as the chief minister of Jharkhand on Friday, succeeding Hemant Soren, who resigned just before his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged land fraud case.

Ranchi, Jan 31 (ANI): Jharkhand Transport Minister Champai Soren walks out of the Raj Bhawan after meeting the State Governor CP Radhakrishnan on being elected the next State Chief Minister, in Ranchi on Wednesday. Champai Soren was elected as the next CM after CM Hemant Soren resigned from his post following the questioning by the ED in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. (ANI Photo) (Somnath Sen)

Governor CP Radhakrishnan administered the oath of office to Champai Soren at the Raj Bhavan. Along with him, senior Congress leader Alamgir Alam and RJD leader Satyanand Bhokta were also sworn in as state ministers.

ALSO READ- Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren sent to 5-day ED custody

Who is Champai Soren?

1. Champai Soren, aged 67, has been sworn in as the 12th chief minister of Jharkhand.

2. He is the sixth chief minister from Jharkhand's Kolhan region, comprising East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts.

3. Previously serving as the minister of transport in the Jharkhand government, he is a prominent tribal leader and politician.

4. Known as "Jharkhand's tiger," Champai Soren played a crucial role in the fight for the creation of a separate Jharkhand state in the 1990s.

5. Born into an agricultural family, Champai Soren received his early education in a government school and studied till the 10th grade.

6. His political career began during the demand for a separate Jharkhand, aligning himself with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). He is said to be a loyalist of JMM president Shibu Soren.

7. Champai Soren won his first election as an independent MLA through a by-election from the Saraikela constituency in 1991.

8. Over the years, he contested and won elections from Saraikela, serving as an independent and later on a JMM ticket.

9. Champai Soren served as a cabinet minister in the BJP government led by Arjun Munda from September 2010 to January 2013.

10. In 2019, he became the minister of food and civil supplies and transport in Hemant Soren's government.

ALSO READ- Congress hides ‘soft-target’ Jharkhand MLAs

In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the alliance led by JMM holds the majority with 47 MLAs, comprising 29 from JMM, 17 from Congress, and 1 from RJD. The BJP has 26 members, and the AJSU Party has three. Additionally, the NCP and CPI (ML) each have one lawmaker, along with two Independents.

To ring-fence against alleged poaching attempts by the BJP, the MLAs from the JMM-led alliance may be relocated to Hyderabad during the day. Hyderabad, capital city of Telangana, is governed by the Congress.

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HT News Desk
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