JMM rebel and former MLA from Borio in Santhal Pargana — Lobin Hembrom — joined the BJP on Saturday, following in the footsteps of former chief minister Champai Soren.

Lobin, who had represented Borio for three terms in the state Assembly and had been raising his voice against chief minister Hemant Soren’s style of functioning for the last few years, was welcomed to the BJP in the presence of Jharkhand BJP Assembly election co-incharge Himanta Biswa Sarma, state party president Babulal Marandi and Champai in Ranchi.

Last month, Lobin lost his Assembly membership in a defection case and was also suspended from the JMM for six years for contesting as an Independent candidate in Rajmahal Lok Sabha seat against the party’s official candidate and eventual winner Vijay Hansdak.

With the help of Lobin and Champai, the BJP is expected to eat into the JMM’s tribal vote bank, especially after the reverses the saffron party suffered in the recent Lok Sabha polls in which it failed to win from any of the five ST-reserved seats in the state.

“It is a sign that tribals are losing faith in Hemant Soren’s leadership and we would see it as the beginning of the end of the JMM in Jharkhand. We would stand to gain with the entry of two tall tribal leaders both in Kolhan (Champai Soren) and Santhal Pargana (Lobin Hembrom),” said BJP state spokesperson Pratul Sahdeo.

Like Champai, Lobin also showed respect for JMM patriarch Shibu Soren.

“I still have respect for Guruji (as Shibu Soren is called by tribals) and learnt politics from him. However, the party functioning at the moment is not what it was during Guruji’s time. The bow and arrow (JMM poll symbol) has lost its force. I think only the BJP can save the tribal identity, especially in launching agitation against the exploitation of tribals at the hands of infiltrators,” said Lobin.

The JMM leadership is not publicly exhibiting any signs of anxiousness over the developments and is banking on the slew of populist measures announced by Hemant in the run-up to the Assembly polls.

“Leaving of Champai and Lobin would hardly impact party fortunes in the polls. If we go by data, it can be seen that Champai da could not give a lead in the Seraikela Assembly segment in the Lok Sabha polls for the Singhbhum parliamentary seat (which was won by the JMM’s Joba Manjhi) while Lobin Hembrom lost his deposit contesting as an Independent in Rajmahal Lok Sabha seat,” said JMM spokesperson Tanuj Kshetri.

The JMM spokesperson said the Mukhya Mantri Maiyan Samman Yojana, which provides monthly financial assistance of ₹1,000 to women between 20 and 50 years, the universal pension scheme, pension for dalits and tribals above 50 years, free electricity (up to 200 units) for domestic consumers and scholarship schemes for girl students have increased the JMM’s and the coalition’s vote banks.

“We have consolidated our vote banks through popular schemes and people have got connected with our government,” said Kshetri.