India, Dec. 2 -- Jharkhand may be headed for a dramatic political upheaval amid strong indications that Chief Minister Hemant Soren and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) are considering a surprise realignment with their long-time rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), media reports said.

The buzz follows reports of high-level backchannel negotiations in Delhi, hinting at the possibility of the JMM joining the NDA.

The speculation intensified after Hemant Soren and his wife, Kalpana Soren, reportedly met a senior BJP leader in the national capital.

Adding to the intrigue, several reports quoting Congress and JMM insiders claim that eight of Congress's 16 MLAs are in talks to break ranks and back a new Soren-led arrangement with outside...