BJP a sinking ship, at least a dozen MPs and MLAs in touch with me: Hemant Soren

"At least one dozen BJP MPs and MLAs have contacted me. They want to switch over. They know BJP is a sinking ship. Public sentiment is palpably against them," Soren said in an interview with News18.

He said there was infighting in the ranks of BJP and its allies JD(U), LJP, and AJSU were contesting the upcoming Jharkhand assembly election separately.

"Why are AAJSU, JD(U), LJP fighting these polls individually? There is pandemonium in BJP's ranks. It is clear that they cannot carry alliance partners with them," he maintained.

The former Chief Minister claimed that issues of hunger-related deaths, forest rights etc effected BJP's performance with the party just managing to win the five reserved Lok Sabha seats.

Asked why RJD and Congress were reluctant about declaring him the CM face of the Mahagatbandhan, he said there was no confusion on it now.

"There is no confusion. Congress leader RPN Singh has clearly stated that Hemant Soren will be the CM face of the alliance. There is no confusion now. On the other hand, you should ask the same question to BJP.

"Till very recently they used to say that Raghubar Das was their CM face. Why aren't they saying this now? Why are they suddenly quiet on the issue? Ask them to clarify who their CM face is. BJP is a sinking ship," he stated.

The JMM leader rejected that Supreme Court's Ayodhya verdict would be a talking point in this election and said the votes would be cast on the state issues.

"The upcoming elections are for the state of Jharkhand. If we also talk about national issues in these polls, then where will we talk about the issues of Jharkhand? In the campaign of Jammu and Kashmir or Gujarat?" he stressed.