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‘Phone call ensured poll win’: Political storm in Bihar over Manjhi video, he says tampered
The video has given the Opposition, which has already raised concerns over vote chori (vote theft), fresh ammunition.
Union Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi (PTI)
A video purportedly showing Union Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi claiming that a phone call to a Gaya official ensured the victory of one of his party candidates — who was trailing by about 2,700 votes in the 2020 Assembly polls — has triggered a political row. In the video, Manjhi is purportedly heard saying that the same candidate lost the 2025 Assembly polls because he did not call him this time for a similar favour.
Manjhi, however, claimed the video was “tampered” and was being circulated in an attempt to “tarnish his image” and “dismantle Brand Manjhi”.
The video, said to be from a function held on December 14 to honour party workers for HAM (S)’s victory in the 2025 Assembly polls, purportedly shows Manjhi saying: “He (Tekari HAM (S) candidate Anil Kumar) had been trailing by 2,600 votes (in 2020 polls), but I made sure he won the election. This time, he had been trailing only by 2,600 votes but didn’t make such requests.” Manjhi also named an IAS officer, now posted in Tripura, for helping his Tekari candidate win the 2020 polls by 2,630 votes. This time, Anil Kumar lost by 2,058 votes.
The video has given the Opposition, which has already raised concerns over vote chori (vote theft), fresh ammunition. “Manjhi’s open acceptance shows how blatantly election results are manipulated and influenced. It shows how bureaucracy is being misused by the current establishment,” Bihar Congress spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari told The Indian Express, adding that the party was planning to flag the issue with the Election Commission of India.
RJD national spokesperson Subodh Kumar Mehta demanded a high-level probe into the matter.
“This is a grave statement coming from a Union Cabinet minister. He has been named an IAS officer as well. We want a high-level probe into it. Let the conduct of the IAS officer also be probed. We have apprehensions of such things happening during the 2025 Assembly polls as well.”
The ruling NDA, however, sought to defend its ally HAM (S). Bihar Industry Minister and former BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal said, “I had seen the uncut and unedited Gaya video of Manjhi. He had been only referring to the slow process of counting during the 2020 polls and how his candidate had been trailing till the penultimate round and eventually won.”
Manjhi also dismissed the video’s content: “Some people who tampered with one of my videos and made it viral think they will defame the son of Musahar. I want to tell such people that now no one can humiliate or fool the son of Musahar… You who spit at the sky are forgetting that the spit will fall back on them. Now, Manjhi is a brand; he’s not afraid of anyone.”
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Meanwhile, JD (U) chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said that the HAM (S) state president should answer the question. At the same time, he also said the Opposition “cannot make sweeping statements” about the alleged misuse of election machinery.
“Who are the parties involved? The DM in question is now in Tripura. Let the HAM (S) state president take it up. But have the Opposition and ECI taken it up? Just raising questions would not do,” he said.
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