Jharkhand: Sita Soren deals blow to JMM, joins BJP ahead of LS polls

Ranchi: In a blow to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Sita Soren, three-term MLA and sister-in-law of former chief minister Hemant Soren, quit the party on Tuesday and joined the BJP, weeks before the Lok Sabha polls.

She joined the BJP in New Delhi in the presence of its national general secretary Vinod Tawde and Jharkhand poll in-charge Laxmikant Bajpai.

Sita Soren tendered her resignation from the JMM, claiming that she was being neglected and isolated.

Earlier, a rift in the Soren family had surfaced after she had openly opposed any move to make Kalpana Soren, wife of Hemant Soren, who is behind bars in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam, as chief minister.

In her resignation letter addressed to JMM supremo and her father-in-law, Shibu Soren, Sita Soren stated that following the demise of her husband, the party failed to provide adequate support to her and her family.

“Since the demise of my late husband Durga Soren, who was a leading warrior of the Jharkhand movement and a great revolutionary, me and my family have been victims of continuous neglect. We have been isolated by the party and family members, which has been extremely painful for me. I had hoped that the situation would improve with time, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen,” she said.

The Jama legislator also indicated a deviation from the party's core values by accommodating people whose principles do not align with its ethos.

"The tireless efforts of Shri Shibu Soren, who worked hard to keep us all together, unfortunately, also failed. I have become aware of a conspiracy being orchestrated against me and my family... I am left with no choice but to tender my resignation,” she said in the letter.

As per the MLA’s office, she also resigned from the membership of the Jharkhand assembly.

Meanwhile, JMM Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji termed Sita Soren’s resignation as “shocking” and urged her to reconsider the decision.