Jitan Ram Manjhi Demands 15 Seats In Bihar As NDA Scrambles To Seal Poll Pact

Last Updated:October 07, 2025, 13:50 IST

Manjhi, a Lok Sabha MP from Gaya, said his party might win 8 out of these 15 seats, which would help it to become a recognised party in the state

Expressing his frustration, the HAM chief said he felt insulted after the Election Commission did not provide them with the voter list. (Photo: ANI file)

Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM) has demanded 15 out of 243 seats from the BJP-led Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the ensuing Bihar assembly election.

Manjhi, a Lok Sabha MP from Gaya, said his party might win 8 out of these 15 seats, which would help it to become a recognised party in the state.

“I want us to get enough seats in the election to achieve recognised party status. We demand 15 seats in the Assembly elections. Last time, we contested 7 seats and won 4, winning more than 60 per cent of the seats we contested. If we contest 15 seats at that ratio, we should win 8 seats. We must win 8 seats. I appeal to NDA leaders not to let us get insulted. Give us enough seats so that we can return to the Assembly winning 8 seats. We have suggested a formula for this," Manjhi told News18.com.

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Expressing his frustration, the HAM chief said he felt insulted after the Election Commission did not provide them with the voter list.

“We have four MLAs, one MLC, one MP, and a minister each in the Centre and Bihar, yet our party is registered but not recognised," he said.

Manjhi met BJP’s Bihar election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan and party leader Vinod Tawde on Sunday to discuss the seat-sharing agreement.

“We always speak the truth, and because of this, we sometimes suffer losses. Still, I talk frankly. We have presented our demand to Dharmendra Pradhan, Vinod Tawde, and Samrat Chaudhary. They discussed the matter but did not talk about the seats. Even then, we expressed our demand without prior discussion," he said.

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Two other NDA partners, Chirag Paswan and Upendra Kushwaha, have also made their demands — Paswan has sought 35 seats for the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), while Rajya Sabha MP Kushwaha wants 20 seats for his Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP).

Pradhan, Tawde and some Bihar BJP leaders also met Paswan today.

The assembly elections in Bihar will be held in two phases– November 6 and November 11. The counting of votes will take place on November 14.

News elections Jitan Ram Manjhi Demands 15 Seats In Bihar As NDA Scrambles To Seal Poll Pact

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