Amid the buzz around his defection to the BJP, senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and former chief minister of Jharkhand, arrived in Delhi on Sunday.

Soren, however, has tried to scotch the rumours terming his visit to Delhi “personal”. “I have come here for my personal work,” he told reporters, ignoring the direct questions on his BJP switch.

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According to sources, he is likely to meet senior BJP leaders in the national capital. Some of his loyalists are also accompanying him during the visit.

The political buzz intensified after Soren’s reported meeting with BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in Kolkata yesterday. The meeting, which reportedly included four other JMM leaders, has given rise to the rumours of a possible defection.=The timing of the visit has also added to the suspicion as the assembly elections in Jharkhand are due.

In a statement to downplay the speculations surrounding his visit,he said “I don’t know what rumours are being spread. I don’t know what news is being run, so I cannot tell whether it’s true or not. I don’t know anything about it…Hum jahan par hain vahi par hain (I am here only),” Soren told reporters on Saturday.

Soren, who briefly served as the chief minister of Jharkhand earlier this year, took office in February after the arrest of Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a high-profile money laundering case.

However, his tenure as the 12th chief minister of the state was short-lived, as he had to step down in July allowing Hemant Soren to return as the head of the state government.