Champai Soren

Champai Soren^[1] (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,^[2] following the arrest of former Chief Minister Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on allegations of money laundering.^[3][4][5] He served as a cabinet minister under Hemant Soren both before and after his tenure as Chief Minister.^[6][7]

Champai Soren
Soren in 2024
7th Chief Minister of Jharkhand
In office 2 February 2024 – 3 July 2024
Governor	C. P. Radhakrishnan
Preceded by	Hemant Soren
Succeeded by	Hemant Soren
Leader of the House in Jharkhand Legislative Assembly
In office 2 February 2024 – 3 July 2024
Governor	C. P. Radhakrishnan
Speaker	Rabindra Nath Mahato
Preceded by	Hemant Soren
Succeeded by	Hemant Soren
Cabinet Minister Government of Jharkhand
In office 4 July 2024 – 28 August 2024
Minister	Water Resources Department Higher Education Technical Education
Governor	C. P. Radhakrishnan Santosh Gangwar
Chief Minister	Hemant Soren
In office 29 December 2019 – 31 January 2024
Minister	Transport Scheduled Tribe Scheduled Caste Minority Backward Class Welfare
Governor	Droupadi Murmu Ramesh Bais
Chief Minister	Hemant Soren
In office 11 September 2010 – 18 January 2013
Minister	Science and Technology Labour Housing
Governor	M. O. H. Farook
Chief Minister	Arjun Munda
Deputy Chief Minister	Hemant Soren Sudesh Mahto
Member of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 2000
Preceded by	Constituency shifted from Bihar
Constituency	Seraikella
Member of Bihar Legislative Assembly
In office 1991–2000
Preceded by	Anant Ram Tudu
Succeeded by	Constituency shifted to Jharkhand
Constituency	Seraikella
Personal details
Born	(1956-11-01) 1 November 1956 (age 69) Seraikela, Bihar, India (present-day Jharkhand)
Party	Bharatiya Janata Party (2024–present)
Other political affiliations	Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (1990–2024)
Residence(s)	24A, Jilinggora, Gamharia, Jharkhand, India
Occupation	Politician

Early life and education

Soren was born in Jilinggora village in Seraikela Kharsawan district.^[8] 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.^[9] He has seven children.^[10]

Career

Soren is an eight-time MLA.^[8] 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.^[8] Later, he represented Seraikella assembly constituency in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly continuously for four terms from 2000 to 2024.^[11]

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.^[2][12] In a sudden turn of events after former Chief Minister Hemant Soren was arrested, he was made the Chief Minister on 2 February 2024.^{[13][14][15][9]}

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.^[16] 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.^[17]

Positions held

From	To	Position
1991	1995	MLA in the 10th Bihar Assembly from Seraikella (by-poll)
1995	2000	MLA in the 11th Bihar Assembly from Seraikella
2000	2005	MLA in the 1st Jharkhand Assembly from Seraikella
2005	2009	MLA in the 2nd Jharkhand Assembly from Seraikella
2009	2014	MLA in the 3rd Jharkhand Assembly from Seraikella Cabinet Minister - Science and Technology, Labour and Housing (11 Sep 2010 – 18 Jan 2013) Cabinet Minister - Food and Civil Supplies, Transport (13 July 2013 – 28 Dec 2014)
2014	2019	MLA in the 4th Jharkhand Assembly from Seraikella
2019[18]	2024	MLA in the 5th Jharkhand Assembly from Seraikella Cabinet Minister - Transport, Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Caste & Backward class welfare (29 Dec 2019 – 31 Jan 2024) 7th Chief Minister of Jharkhand (2 Feb 2024 – 4 Jul 2024) Cabinet Minister - Water Resources, Higher and Technical Education (4 Jul 2024 – 28 Aug 2024)
2024[19]	Incumbent	MLA in the 6th Jharkhand Assembly from Seraikella

Electoral history

Indian general elections

Year	Constituency	Party		Votes	%	Result
2019	Jamshedpur		JMM	377,542	33.00	Lost

Legislative Assembly elections

Year	Constituency	Party		Votes	%	Result
1991^	Seraikella		JMM			Won
1995				36,926	31.80	Won
2000				40,550	37.16	Lost
2005				61,112	40.81	Won
2009				57,156	38.34	Won
2014				94,746	45.40	Won
2019				111,554	48.58	Won
2024			BJP	119,379	44.27	Won

^by-election