Bihar Polls: Ex-CM Jitan Ram Manjhi returns to NDA fold; says' full faith in Modi-Nitish'

After days of hectic parleys between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and ex-chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, the latter on Thursday has declared that his Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) will join the NDA. This comes as a major development ahead of the Bihar elections and a jolt to the RJD. 

The Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) will not merge with any party, rather it will be a part of the NDA in the Bihar elections that is due in October-November, party spokesperson Danish Rizwan said. Moreover, he added that the number of seats the party will get to contest in the upcoming elections was never an issue for it as the HAM(S) will join the NDA for the development of the state. "The party is firmly standing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for their development works," he asserted.

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BJP says anyone accepting PM Modi's leadership welcomed in the party

Ahead of assembly polls in Bihar, political alignments in the state have begun, with the BJP declaring that anyone who favours Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership is welcome to join their fold. BJP chief JP Nadda also held a crucial meeting with party MPs to finalise its poll strategy. Talking about the meeting, Jaiswal said Nadda told the MPs to work for the victory of the BJP as well its NDA partners candidates in the upcoming assembly polls. The BJP's national president also instructed party MPs to visit at least 60 panchayats in September and interact with the people.

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Manjhi was a close confidant of Nitish Kumar

Manjhi was a close confidant of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, who even made him CM of the state in 2014 after his own resignation after being routed in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. However, in the ever-evolving political scene of Bihar, Manjhi in 2015 revolted against his mentor Nitish and was ousted after JDU MLAs pulled back their support ahead of the trust vote.  

With the exit of Hindustani Awam Morcha, the opposition Grand Alliance now comprises the RJD, Congress, former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) and ex-Bollywood set designer Mukesh Sahni's Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP). RJD also suffered a big jolt after senior RJD MLA Chandrika Rai - who was a close friend of Lalu Yadav and also Tej Pratap Yadav's father-in-law, and two MLAs Faraz Fatmi and Jaiwardhan Yadav joined the ruling JD(U).

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Bihar elections 2020

Amid rising COVID-19 cases, Bihar is all set to go to polls for a 243-member assembly seat in October-November. In the 2015 assembly polls, CM Nitish Kumar's JDU, then a part of the Mahagathbandhan won 71 seats, Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD won 80 seats, and Congress won 27 seats. The BJP which fought the elections alone after Kumar in 2013 broke the 17-year-old alliance won a mere 53 seats out of 157 contested. However, the saffron party came back to power when Kumar ditched the Mahagathbandhan and once again stitched an alliance with the BJP.

READ | Bihar polls: Another RJD MLA quits party; 7th legislator to join JD(U) in a fortnight