Former Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren, who is yet to resign as a cabinet minister in the Hemant Soren-led government, again visited Delhi on Monday amid speculation of joining the BJP.

On Monday morning, Champai went to Calcutta via road and met a senior BJP leader before leaving for Delhi on a flight.

Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Champai, denied any conversation or meeting with BJP leaders. He said he would make his next decision in a couple of days.

During his last visit to Delhi a week ago, Champai had denied meeting any BJP leader. He had rubbished claims of him joining the party calling it "rumours" and only a "personal visit".

On the same day, he released a letter on social media expressing his desire to distance himself from the ruling JMM over the "bitter humiliation" faced in his removal from the post of chief minister in July. A few days back he had hinted at forming a new party and was open to taking "friends" in his "new political journey".

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also the BJP’s co-incharge of Jharkhand Assembly polls, has for the first time admitted that there have been meetings between him and Champai in the last few months.

Speaking to reporters at the Ranchi Airport, Sarma said he has been in touch with Champai for the past six months.

“I personally want Champai Soren to join the BJP and strengthen us. However, he is too senior for me to make any comment on him. If he is in Delhi, we will try to speak. I have been talking to him both directly and indirectly for the past six months. However, we never discussed politics during those conversations. It seems that time has arrived for us to also discuss a bit of politics,” Sarma said.

A Ranchi-based BJP leader also admitted that Champai had parleys with senior BJP leaders in Delhi and Jharkhand.

“He had assured to bring a few MLAs from the JMM-Congress to defect to BJP which did not materialise and it was decided that bringing him to the BJP alone might lead to internal wrangling within the party. He has also put a condition of giving a ticket to his youngest son (Bablu Soren) from either Ghatshila or Potka constituency. It is now up to the top party leaders to take a call,” said the leader.