Bihar Election 2025: Jitan Ram Manjhi & Chirag Paswan Toughen Stand On Seat-Sharing Ahead Of Assembly Polls

Patna: Bihar`s two prominent Dalit leaders and union ministers- Jitan Ram Manjhi and Chirag Paswan - are giving a tough time to BJP as they have apparently toughened their stand on seat sharing deal for the upcoming Bihar assembly election.

While Manjhi asserted that his party, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) would not contest the election polls if it was not given at least 15 seats in the deal, Chirag said that the seat sharing within the NDA talks were still on and in early stages and that information would be shared at the right time.

Talking to reporters, Manjhi, however, clarified that HAM would remain with the NDA camp. BJP chief JP Nadda reportedly spoke to Manjhi to pacify him. He said that his party was praying to NDA leaders to give a respectable number of seats to his party so that it could get recognition. “In absence of recognition to our party, we have to face humiliation,” he remarked.

“If we do not get the proposed number of seats, we will not contest the election. We will support the NDA, but we won't contest the election. I don't want to become chief minister. I just want our party to be recognised," he said.

In a post on X, Manjhi quoted lines from Dinkar's classic war poem Rashmirathi, with a minor tweak. Rashmirathi narrates a last-ditch attempt by Lord Krishna to prevent the Mahabharata battle. "Ho nyay agar to aadha do, yadi us mein bhi koi badha ho, to de do keval 15 gram, rakho apni dharti tamam, HAM wahi khushi se khayenge, parijan pe asi na uthayenge." The lines loosely translate to 'Give us just 15 villages and keep everything else. HAM will be happy and won't raise arms against our own.' In the original poem, Dinkar wrote '5 gram' -- 5 villages for as many Pandava brothers. Manjhi replaced this with 15.

On the other hand, Chirag, although avoiding not to play his pressure tactic as openly as Manjhi did, sought to keep cards to his chest but dropped ample hints about his intentions by posting a cryptic comment on his father, late Ram Vilas Paswan’s death anniversary.

While remembering his late father, founder of the undivided Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), he said, "Papa always used to say, do not commit a crime, do not endure a crime. If you want to live, learn to die, Learn to fight at every step."

LJP is reportedly demanding 40 seats in the seat sharing arrangement. On the other hand, BJP wants to give eight seats to HAM and 22 seats to Chirag, he added.