Hours after tendering her resignation from the membership of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, Jharkhand’s Jama MLA Sita Soren, sister-in-law of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday.

She joined the saffron party in New Delhi in the presence of national general secretary Vinod Tawde and Jharkhand poll in-charge Laxmikant Bajpai. Sita has cited neglect and isolation as reasons for her resignation from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

Also Read:Jharkhand: Jama MLA Sita Soren, sister-in-law of Hemant Soren, resigns from JMM

The rift in the Soren family became evident when she openly opposed any attempt to appoint Kalpana Soren, Hemant Soren’s wife, as chief minister, after Hemant Soren’s imprisonment in connection with a money laundering case related to an alleged land scam.

In her resignation letter addressed to JMM supremo Shibu Soren, also her father-in-law, Sita mentioned the lack of support from the party for herself and her family after her husband’s demise.

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“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 hinted at deviation from the party’s fundamental principles by accommodating individuals whose beliefs diverge from 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,” Sita’s letter read.

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According to sources from the MLA’s office, she also stepped down from her position in the Jharkhand assembly.

“It is very unfortunate. We consider her an important member of the party…we hope she retracts. The kind of respect she has received from this party, I don’t think she will get anywhere else…if she comes under the influence of those people who oppose us then she is sabotaging herself,” JMM leader Manoj Pandey said on her resignation.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured 11 seats with a vote share of 51.9%, while Congress, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, and ASJU each won one seat. The upcoming elections for the 543 Lok Sabha seats are scheduled from April 19 to June 1, with the vote count slated for June 4.