Hemant Soren back: Outgoing Jharkhand CM Champai Soren ‘emotional’, but says ‘party comes first’

RANCHI: Champai Soren's stint as Jharkhand's second CM in four years came to an end Wednesday when he resigned after 152 days in office, paving the way for Hemant Soren's return to the helm within a week of getting bail as JMM decided that its "natural leader" should lead the electoral fight later this year.
Champai will remain caretaker CM till July 7, when Hemant is scheduled to take the oath of office in a baton change that was always on the cards despite JMM functionaries initially insisting that the party would like the incumbent to stay as polls were months away.
As BJP and AJSU Party railed against JMM for what they called Champai's "unceremonious exit", the outgoing CM reached Raj Bhavan around 7.20pm with Hemant and senior functionaries of Congress and RJD to submit his resignation. Hemant immediately staked claim to form the next govt, submitting a letter of support from 44 MLAs of the governing coalition.
I got the responsibility (of being CM) due to the political turn of events in Jan. Now that Hemant babu is back, we have again chosen him to lead the party and the govt,” Champai, who wears the epithet “Tiger of Kolhan” for championing the tribal cause, told reporters.
JMM’s central spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharjee, who had said last week that Champai would likely resign but that Hemant would prefer not to disturb the govt, announced later that the governor had accepted the change proposed by the party.
Hemant had quit as CM hours before his Jan 31 arrest by ED in the Ranchi land scam and money laundering cases and picked Champai, the Seraikela MLA, as his successor. He didn't comment on his impending return to the CM's office. Hemant had convened a meeting of all MLAs and alliance partners at his residence in the morning, mandating everyone’s presence. The meeting began soon after Congress's Jharkhand in-charge Ghulam Ahmed Mir arrived in Ranchi from Delhi. Hemant was unanimously chosen to lead the coalition again, party functionaries said.
An MLA said Champai was “emotional”, but told the meeting that “party comes first”. State health minister Banna Gupta said, “Champai ji had to don a new role under different political situations. Now that Hemant ji is out, everyone amicably decided that he should take charge.