New Delhi: Mere hours before he was named leader of the legislative party of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Champai Soren was busy posting complaints made by the state’s residents on his social media accounts, tagging relevant government officials, and then responding with a ‘thank you’ soon after the grievance was resolved.
This was not a one-off. His social media account is full of such posts, where he tries to get the problems of the people resolved.
Champai has emerged as the new chief minister face in Jharkhand after Hemant Soren’s resignation from the post and subsequent arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a land scam case.
Though not related, Champai is a close associate of Hemant’s father and former CM Shibu Soren, and had participated alongside him in the movement for formation of Jharkhand state.
“Hemant refers to him (Champai) as ‘chacha’ and gives him the same respect as he does his father. Even during public programmes he used to ensure that Champai would be given the same respect that is given to the elders of the family,” a senior JMM leader told ThePrint on condition of anonymity. “Champai has been a Shibhu Soren loyalist and has also been with Hemant through thick and thin. He has supported Hemant as a guardian and has always provided the right direction to him. In this time of crisis, too, we are confident that he will be able to manage.”
Champai, 68, is a six-time MLA and represents the Seraikella assembly constituency. In Hemant Soren’s cabinet, he holds the responsibility of the transport, scheduled tribes and scheduled castes and backward classes welfare department.
A close-aide of Champai describes him as a “simple man” leading a “simple life”.
“He is a cabinet minister, but he still wears slippers, loose shirts and pants even during his public interactions. You will find very few people who will take the complaints of the people so seriously and post them on social media to ensure quick resolution,” the aide said.
When the demand for a separate Jharkhand state to be carved out from Bihar was at its peak in the 1980s, Champai had emerged as a notable face of the movement from the Kolhan region and earned the moniker of ‘Kolhan Tiger’.
Kolhan is one of the five divisions of of Jharkhand and comprises three districts — East Singhbhum, Seraikelka Kharsawan district, and West Singhbhum.
“Champaiji is a fighter who has risen as a leader after years of struggle. During the days of Jharkhand movement, he used to be leading from the front and even after the state was formed, he continued to fight for the poor and the downtrodden,” said another JMM leader to ThePrint.
Also read: Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren resigns ahead of ‘imminent’ ED arrest. Champai Soren to be next CM
‘Politician with ground connect’
Bon in Jilinggora village, Seraikella-Kharsawan district, Champai comes from a family of farmers. He completed his class 10 from Ramakrishna Mission High School, Jamshedpur, in 1974, and is fluent in Bengali and Santali. He has seven children.
“He has only studied till class 10 but mastered the art of leading agitations and ensuring no injustice is meted out to the masses. This is also the reason Hemant Soren named him to lead the government as there would not have been any voice of opposition against it,” another JMM leader told ThePrint.
Champai is also often referred to as a ‘union leader’ by his supporters and is known to have contributed a lot to trade union leadership as well, and led key movements in industrial towns like Jamshedpur and Adityapur. He has also fought for the rights of the tribal community.
“Badi companies ke khilaf aandolan ladte the sharmiko ki welfare ke liye. Hum unki woh saari kahaniya sunte hue bade hue hai. Ground se jude neta hai jo seedhi aur saral baat karte hai (He has faced off with big companies to fight for workers’ rights. We have grown up hearing his stories. He’s a politician with ground connect, he speaks plainly),” the leader added.
In the year 1991, he won his first by-election for Seraikella seat and became a member of the then Bihar Legislative Assembly.
“After this, he won the elections again in 1995 but lost the elections in 2000. He again won the assembly elections in 2005 and did not lose any election after that,” said a senior JMM leader.
Between 2010 and 2013, he also served as a cabinet minister in the BJP-JMM government under CM Arjun Munda.
According to party sources, the JMM had Tuesday taken MLA signatures on two pieces of paper, proposing two alternatives for the post of CM, as reports of Hemant Soren’s likely arrest by the ED began doing the rounds. While one letter proposed Soren’s wife Kalpana as his potential successor, the second one suggested Champai. The idea was to approach the governor with the name of whoever emerged as the consensus candidate in the event of Hemant Soren’s arrest.
Champai is from the Kolhan division, which has reportedly produced three CMs for Jharkhand — Arjun Munda, Madhu Koda, and Raghubar Das.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
Also read: Forged documents, power broker & ‘illegal’ mining — what are the ED cases involving Hemant Soren