Meet Champai Soren, 7-time MLA who could be new Jharkhand chief minister

NEW DELHI: JMM on Wednesday picked MLA Champai Soren as the new leader of the legislative party amid a strong buzz over leadership change in Jharkhand after chief minister Hemant Soren tendered his resignation.

Hemant Soren, whose resignation was accepted by the Jharkhand governor, was taken into custody by ED after day-long questioning in Ranchi.

Champai Soren met the state governor and staked claim to form the new Jharkhand government, claiming support of 47 MLAs.

Who is Champai Soren?

* Champai Soren, 68, is a seven-time MLA and represents the Seraikella constituency in Jharkhand.

* He was born in November 1956 at Jilinggora village in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan district. He is a matriculate and father of seven children.

* He is the son of a farmer and is not related to the Hemant Soren family.

* He served as an Independent MLA before joining the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

* He is currently serving as the minister of transport in the Jharkhand government.

* Champai was an active part of the movement for separate statehood of Jharkhand.

* The revered politician also enjoys friends across all political parties, is fondly called "Kolhan Tiger" for his warrior-like skills which he manifested during the statehood movement.

* He has also been a trade union leader, with several successful trade movements carried by him in the two adjoining industrial towns of Jamshedpur and Adityapur.

* Champai Soren is also known to be a loyalist of JMM supremo Shibu Soren.

* Notably, the Kolhan division has given three chief ministers to the state so far, including Arjun Munda, Madhu Koda, and Raghubar Das.


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