‘We are upset,’ says Jitan Ram Manjhi after HAM secures just six seats in Bihar polls

Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader and Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said he was upset at being allotted only six seats when the party demanded 15 constituencies for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. HAM is part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance.

“We demanded 15 seats but got only six. We are unhappy, but we will not oppose the NDA’s decision. We will go ahead with whatever we have, and we thank Prime Minister Modi for that,” Manjhi told news agency ANI.

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Manjhi had to win eight seats for his party to be “recognized”.

Even Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha got six seats and expressed resentment over the seat-sharing formula.

As per the seat-sharing arrangement in the ruling NDA for the elections to the 243-member assembly, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and the BJP will contest in 101 constituencies each, leaving the rest to smaller allies. Union Minister Chirag Paswan will field candidates from his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) for 29 seats.

This is the first time that the two main constituents of the NDA in the state are contesting for an equal number of seats.

The state will vote in two phases on November 6 and 11. The result will be announced on November 14.