Bihar: Jitan Ram Manjhi seeks five seats for HAM in LS polls

Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Friday demanded at least five seats for his Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), a junior partner in the state's ruling 'Mahagathbandhan', in next year's Lok Sabha polls.

Manjhi was talking to reporters here after a meeting with state minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary.

His son Santosh Kumar Suman, who is the national president of the HAM, which has four MLAs in the House, had last week said that the party will not agree to an offer of less than five of 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.

Manjhi voiced approval of the same, saying, ''In fact, five is less than what we deserve. We are making preparations for all 40 seats. But, if HAM gets the desired number of seats, it will benefit the Mahagathbandhan.'' The septuagenarian, whose meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi last month had raised many eyebrows, kept his cards close to the chest, saying, ''I have promised to be by the side of Nitish Kumar. I am confident that he will ensure a fair deal. He takes my advice very seriously.'' Manjhi claimed that dilution in the state's prohibition law was proof that Kumar takes his words seriously. ''I am the only politician in Bihar who had been questioning draconian provisions in the law,'' he said.

The former CM, who unhesitatingly credits Kumar for his brief stint in the highest seat of power in the state, wistfully recalled his tenure, in which ''the first three months went so well''.

Then in JD(U), Manjhi became the CM in May 2014 with the backing of Kumar, who had stepped down taking moral responsibility for the party's drubbing.

However, after nearly nine months, Manjhi had to step down and make way for Kumar's return as his government got mired in controversies and the JD(U) became rife with factional feud.

Upon resigning as CM, Manjhi quit the JD(U) and floated HAM which fought the 2015 assembly polls as part of the BJP-led NDA. He quit the NDA in 2018 to join Mahagathbandhan which then comprised only the RJD and the Congress.

Two years later, ahead of the 2020 assembly polls, Manjhi returned to the NDA swearing his ''loyalty'' towards Nitish Kumar who was, by then, back in the BJP-led coalition.

Contrary to speculations, HAM did not merge with the JD(U) after polls, though Suman, whom the RJD had helped win a berth in the legislative council in 2018, was made a minister.

Quitting the NDA along with Nitish Kumar last year helped Manjhi retain the ministerial berth for his son, whose Vidhan Parishad term expires early next year. At present, the Mahagathbandhan comprises seven parties -- RJD, JD(U), Congress, CPI(ML) Liberation, HAM, CPI and CPI(M).

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)