NEW DELHI: Since November 2005, Bihar has had solely two chief ministers — Nitish Kumar and Jitan Ram Manjhi. The workplace has grow to be nearly synonymous with Kumar, who has now held it repeatedly for practically 20 years.Additionally Learn | Bihar elections 2025: Section 1 nominations shut, no Mahagathbandhan seat deal but; why it could not matterBut, when Kumar quickly stepped apart — for less than 9 months, because it turned out — he selected Manjhi as his successor. At the moment, the 2 not share that closeness, the belief, or a celebration, however stay in the identical alliance. And Manjhi, a regional celebration chief whose help can nonetheless tilt the stability in favor of the state’s ruling Nationwide Democratic Alliance (NDA), continues to matter.
Jitan Ram Manjhi, the political veteranThe 81-year-old is a seasoned politician whose profession spans over 4 a long time. He started in 1980 with the Congress and later joined the Janata Dal, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and Janata Dal (United) earlier than founding his personal celebration, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) (HAM(S)).A former seven-time MLA, Manjhi has served in a number of Bihar governments and presently represents Gaya within the Lok Sabha. He’s additionally the Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises within the BJP-led NDA’s central authorities.Nevertheless, his largest political breakthrough got here in 2014, when he turned the chief minister of Bihar.Jitan Ram Manjhi and Nitish KumarIn February 2015, Manjhi had a bitter fallout with Kumar and the JD(U). Kumar had resigned as Bihar CM in Could 2014, taking accountability for the celebration’s poor efficiency within the Lok Sabha elections, the place it received solely 2 of Bihar’s 40 seats.Nevertheless, inside months, Manjhi was requested to step down to permit Kumar’s return. He initially resisted, however after being expelled from the JD(U), he tendered his resignation days later. Quickly after, in Could 2015, he launched the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular).Since then, the 2 leaders have been on-and-off allies, primarily throughout the NDA.HAM’s political trajectory The celebration has contested 4 elections thus far – three as an NDA constituent and one as an ally of the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan (a part of Congress-led United Progressive Alliance nationally).
| Election | alliance | Seats contested | Seats received | vote share |
| Bihar Meeting (2015) | NDA | 21 | 1 | 2.3% |
| Bihar Lok Sabha (2019) | Mahagathbandhan (UPA) | 3 | 0 | 2.4% |
| Bihar Meeting (2020) | NDA | 7 | 4 | 0.89% |
| Bihar Lok Sabha (2024) | NDA | 1 | 1 | 1.14% |
The celebration has been given 6 seats to contest within the upcoming elections, considerably fewer than the 15 seats it had initially demanded.Jitan ManjhiBihar NDA’s ‘Mountain Man’?Although the HAM(S) has a comparatively small vote share, below 2 per cent, Manjhi’s place as a sitting Mahadalit Union minister may give the NDA an important benefit in a intently contested election dominated by simply two main alliances, and in a state the place caste dynamics stay decisive. In 2020, fewer than 12,000 votes separated the winners (NDA: 125 seats) from the runners-up (Mahagathbandhan: 110 seats).Manjhi’s identification and affect amongst Mahadalits may assist the NDA achieve floor in opposition to the RJD-Congress-Left alliance, which has already introduced a 10-point manifesto for Extraordinarily Backward Courses forward of its full election agenda. He belongs to the Musahar neighborhood, a part of the Mahadalit class (throughout the Dalits) launched in 2007. In response to the 2022 Bihar caste census, Dalits account for roughly 20 per cent of the state’s 13 crore. inhabitants.Past caste-based help, he may additionally bolster the ruling alliance’s prospects within the Magadh area, the place he represents the Gaya Lok Sabha seat. This area consists of 26 meeting constituencies, six of which fall below Gaya, giving him potential affect over a number of seats.For the NDA, each share level counts. And in a state the place caste equations can tilt outcomes, Jitan Ram Manjhi’s modest however strategic affect may effectively show the distinction between holding energy and dropping the mountain.The Bihar meeting elections are scheduled for November 6 and 11, with vote relying on November 14.