Champai Soren

7th Chief Minister of Jharkhand in 2024

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Champai Soren (born 1 November 1956) is an Indian politician who served as the 7th Chief Minister of Jharkhand from 2 February 2024 to 3 July 2024, following the arrest of former Chief Minister Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on allegations of money laundering. He served as a cabinet minister under Hemant Soren both before and after his tenure as Chief Minister.

Early life and education

Soren was born in Jilinggora village in Seraikela Kharsawan district. He is a tribal leader and his father Simal Soren is a farmer. He studied till Grade 10 in a government school before entering politics. He has seven children.

Career

Soren is an eight-time MLA. He was first elected from Seraikella in 1991 and served two-terms in the Bihar Legislative Assembly till 2000. During the separate Jharkhand state movement, he became a member of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). Before joining JMM, he served as an independent MLA. Later, he represented Seraikella assembly constituency in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly continuously for four terms from 2000 to 2024.

He served as the Cabinet Minister of Transport, Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Caste & Backward class welfare, Government of Jharkhand in the cabinet of 2nd Hemant Soren ministry from 2019 to 2024. In a sudden turn of events after former Chief Minister Hemant Soren was arrested, he was made the Chief Minister on 2 February 2024.

Hemant Soren once again assumed the office of Chief Minister of Jharkhand after his release from prison in June 2024. Champei Soren left Jharkhand Mukti Morcha after being allegedly humiliated by the party leadership and joined Bharatiya Janata Party in 2024. In August 2025, he was placed under house arrest to prevent law and order issues in view of protests by tribal outfits against land acquisition for a multi-crore state-run health institute.