Bihar polls: Jitan Ram Manjhi disappointed over HAM getting 6 seats but vows to stand with NDA

Patna: Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi on Monday said he is satisfied with the NDA’s seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, even though his party received far fewer seats than it had demanded.

Drawing a comparison to his experience during the Lok Sabha elections, Manjhi remarked that he is “used to being deprived of things.”

The statement comes a day after the ruling NDA, which includes the HAM, announced its seat-sharing arrangement for the 243-member Bihar Assembly.

Under the agreement, HAM was allotted six seats, significantly fewer than what Manjhi had sought.

Initially, Manjhi had demanded 40 seats for the 2025 elections, but later scaled down his request to 15. However, the alliance eventually allocated only six seats to his party.

Speaking to IANS, Manjhi said, “In the parliamentary elections, we were told that we would get two Lok Sabha seats and one Rajya Sabha seat, but we got only one. Now, we had said a minimum of eight seats was needed for recognition as a registered party. But one cannot be sure that if they get eight seats, they will win all. Therefore, we requested at least 15 seats, but they allotted only six. Even so, we are satisfied.”

Manjhi dismissed speculation that he might quit the NDA after being given fewer seats than expected and instead reaffirmed his loyalty to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, linking his patience to his community’s resilience.

“We stand with PM Narendra Modi, who has given us significant respect and support for the development of Gaya, Bihar, and the country. We are ready to make any sacrifice for this. Secondly, I belong to a backward community; we are used to living in deprived conditions. That is why we are satisfied with whatever we have. That is why we are here today with the NDA,” he said.

The NDA’s seat-sharing arrangement announced on Sunday includes the BJP and JD(U) contesting 101 seats each. Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has been allotted 29 seats, while Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) will contest six seats each.

–IANS