Jitan Ram Manjhi demands 15 seats, warns HAM may skip Bihar polls

Guwahati: Ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, cracks are emerging within the NDA as ally Jitan Ram Manjhi, leader of the Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM), has made it clear that his party will not contest the polls unless it is allotted at least 15 seats.

However, he affirmed that HAM will continue to remain in the NDA camp. Sources said BJP chief JP Nadda has reached out to Manjhi to ease tensions.

Speaking to the media, Manjhi said, “We are appealing to NDA leaders because we feel humiliated. We need a respectable number of seats to get recognition as a party.

If we do not get the proposed number, we will not contest the election. We will support NDA, but we won’t fight the election. I do not want to become Chief Minister; I only want our party to be recognized.”

Earlier, Manjhi had hinted at his party’s demand in the NDA’s seat-sharing discussions by referencing legendary poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar’s lines from Rashmirathi.

In a post on X, Manjhi wrote, “Ho nyay agar to aadha do, yadi usmein bhi koi badha ho, to de do keval 15 gram, rakho apni dharti tamam, HAM wahi khushi se khayenge, parijan pe asi na uthayenge,” a tweak of Dinkar’s original “5 gram” line. The message signaled HAM’s demand for 15 seats while expressing willingness to remain loyal to the alliance.

The NDA is yet to finalize its seat-sharing formula for the 243-member Bihar assembly. Sources suggest that the BJP and JD(U) may contest around 100 seats each.

Meanwhile, Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) could get 24 seats, Manjhi’s HAM around 10, and Upendra Kushwaha’s party approximately six. Chirag Paswan has also expressed dissatisfaction with his party’s share and has reportedly been pushing for at least 40 seats.