Rifts in Bihar grand alliance before poll
Partners like HAM, Cong not in tune with RJD
With Assembly elections slated to be held later this year, the grand alliance in Bihar faces a daunting task of resolving the leadership issue.
Sources said that Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) led by Jitan Ram Manjhi and the Congress are not in favour of Tejashwi Yadav leading the grand alliance in the absence of RJD chief Lalu Yadav who is currently serving a jail term after being convicted in the fodder scam case.
Reports also suggest that the grand alliance partners want sizable seat share to contest in the Assembly elections. Recently a three-member team from Upendra Kushwaha’s RLSP met RJD state president Jagdanand Singh in Patna.
RJD insiders said that “political scenario and issues related to seat-sharing was discussed during the meeting and the matter will be resolved soon”.
However, the political experts in Bihar have now shifted their focus on former CM and HAM chief
Jitan Ram Manjhi whose deadline served to the RJD to constitute the coordination committee has failed.
Reports suggest that he is in touch with the JD(U) and BJP and exploring the possibility to return to NDA fold. In 2015 assembly elections his party HAM had contested 20 seats in alliance with the BJP.
“Our demand for the coordination committee was genuine. Our party wanted to settle all the disputes including the leadership and seat-sharing issues by constituting a coordination committee in the grand alliance which has not been fulfilled. Deadlines were issued but nothing happened. Our party chief Jitan Ram Manjhi will take a final decision on the issue after a meeting on July 10,” HAM spokesperson Danish Rizwan told this newspaper.
Mr Manjhi is considered a Mahadalit face in Bihar and is the only MLA from his party.
He had floated Hindustani Awam Morcha in 2015 and became part of the NDA after he was ousted from the JD(U) for rebelling against Nitish Kumar who had installed him as the chief minister of Bihar. In March 2018, he joined the grand alliance led by RJD.
Besides, there are reports that the Congress is also not in the mood to compromise this time on the seat adjustments and leadership issue.
◗ SOURCES SAID that Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) led by Jitan Ram Manjhi and the Congress are not in favour of Tejashwi Yadav leading the grand alliance in the absence of RJD chief Lalu Yadav who is currently serving jail term