Jitan Ram Manjhi meets Amit Shah, to fight 2024 Lok Sabha polls with BJP: Sources

NEW DELHI,JUNE 21 : A day after withdrawing the support of his party from Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi on Wednesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, sources told India Today.

After the meeting which lasted for about 45 minutes, sources said that HAM is most likely to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the NDA alliance.

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HAM chief’s son Santosh Kumar Suman, who resigned from the post of Bihar Cabinet minister on June 13, was also present in the meeting.

The development comes a day after Jitan Ram Manjhi met Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar in Raj Bhawan and submitted the official letter of withdrawal of the support of his four MLAs from the Mahagathbandhan.

“My party had given support during the formation of Mahagathbandhan… now, we are withdrawing it,” Manjhi had said.

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This decision comes after a strained relationship between Manjhi and Nitish Kumar, triggered by the resignation of Santosh Kumar. Santosh Kumar accused Nitish Kumar of pressuring him to merge his party with JD-U or exit the alliance. Choosing the latter option, he left the alliance.

In an effort to strengthen its NDA alliance and counter the formidable Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, the BJP is actively seeking smaller alliance partners. The Mahagathbandhan, consisting of Janata Dal-United (JD-U), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties, poses a significant challenge for the BJP in the state.

-PTI