Did Jharkhand BJP stall induction of Champai Soren into saffron unit?

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party's top leadership is understood to have heeded the Jharkhand unit's advice to not induct former state Chief Minister Champai Soren into the saffron unit. 

The move came after extreme resistance from amongst BJP's ranks in Jharkhand. The saffron unit is now believed to be backing the idea of asking Champai Soren to form a new political outfit. This is expected to help cut into Jharkhand Mukti Morcha votes and aid in BJP's growth, sources said. 

"Apart from accommodating any new entrant, like Champai, the BJP's state unit will also need to reserve seats for other sitting MLAs and senior leaders from JMM who decide to jump ship and join saffron ranks. This is likely to create further anger in the BJP's local ranks as leaders in these constituencies will be denied their aspirations of contesting in the forthcoming polls and would need to wait their turn for another five years," sources pointed out. 

Ahead of critical Assembly polls, the BJP leadership felt that it needed to bring its Jharkhand leaders and cadre on board ahead of any such recruitment as it could turn out to be a "curse", instead of a "blessing" and is likely to hurt the saffron front electorally. 

Soren had recently spent a few days in the national capital in an effort to join the BJP. However, the better sense seems to have prevailed as the saffron unit denied the former CM entry into its ranks and advised him to start preparing to fight the electoral battle by floating a separate political outfit. 

The BJP has been recruiting opposition camp leaders ahead of Lok Sabha polls. However, the policy has been coming under severe criticism from within the saffron ranks. 

Champai Soren was considered a close confidante of present Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who was appointed to the top post in the state when Hemant was incarcerated by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged corruption case. He, however, has reportedly been angry with Hemant after he was unceremoniously removed as a minister recently and has been making overtures towards the BJP. 

Many in the BJP's state unit feel that these turncoat politicians aren't mass leaders and do not bring much to the table. Moreover, these new entrants are ideologically compromised and instead of benefiting the party, their entry often hurts the state unit and leaders, sources added. 

These eminent personalities' "bharties" (entries) also create an atmosphere of anger amongst the cadre who feel that these outsiders will be encroaching on their territory and eating into the tickets in the forthcoming Assembly polls. 

Many in the BJP believe that these new entrants claim for themselves, more than they bring to the party, causing trouble for the "original workers" of the party. 

The 81-member Jharkhand Legislative Assembly is scheduled to go for polls later this year. And amongst all states going to polls later this year like Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra, the BJP hopes to have a good chance at  securing power in Jharkhand.