Ranchi, Aug 30 (IANS): After ending his political journey of four and a half decades with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), former chief minister Champai Soren formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday.

In a big public meeting organised at Shaheed Maidan in Ranchi’s Dhurwa, Union Agriculture Minister and Jharkhand BJP election in-charge Shivraj Singh Chauhan, election co-in-charge and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Jharkhand BJP President Babulal Marandi welcomed him into the party.

Champai Soren said that he has joined the BJP with the resolve to rebuild Jharkhand.

Along with Champai Soren, many others including his son Babulal Soren and Seraikela-Kharsawan Zila Parishad chairman and party's senior leader Sona Ram Bodra joined the BJP.

Addressing the public meeting, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said that Champai Soren was among those leaders whose struggles led to the creation of a separate Jharkhand.

“Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has insulted such a leader. Now he is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. We are together and have come with the resolve to build a new Jharkhand,” he added.

It may be noted that on August 18, Champai Soren wrote a post on the social media platform X and announced that he will start a new chapter separate from JMM. He had written that while being the CM of the state, he was insulted in JMM and the way he was removed from the post was extremely humiliating.

On August 28, he resigned from the primary membership of the party and all the posts, claiming that its "present style of functioning and policies" forced him to leave the party that he served for many years.

Champai Soren, 68, famous as ' Kolhan Tiger' in Jharkhand politics, has been an MLA from Saraikela assembly constituency six times. Apart from being the CM for five months, he has also been a minister in the state government thrice.

Having been associated with the JMM for about 45 years, Champai Soren was a close associate of the party chief Shibu Soren.