Two days after the Samajwadi Party walked out of the grand alliance in Bihar, there are rumblings in the NDA as well, with former Bihar CM and HAM (Secular) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi reportedly exploring an option to align with RJD chief Lalu Prasad.
Sources said Manjhi is “apprehensive” that the NDA might not give him the desired 40 seats in the run-up to the Bihar Assembly polls.
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Top sources said that former minister and key Manjhi aide Mahachandra Prasad Singh met Lalu in New Delhi after SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav “insisted”.
Sources said Manjhi is upset with the NDA not yet giving a final word on seat-sharing so far.
A BJP leader, however, said this was merely a “pressure tactic” by Manjhi. Manjhi, who has shared the dais with PM Narendra Modi in the past, has been ambivalent on the alliance options. A HAM (S) leader said, “The next 10 days will be crucial.”
Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.
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