NEW DELHI: Talking a jibe at the NDA over the ongoing tussle over seat-sharing for the Bihar Assembly polls, the Congress Party on Sunday said that Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi is left with no other option as he has betrayed his former boss Nitish Kumar in the past.
“I don’t think there is any alternative left for Jitan Ram Manjhi other than to join the NDA alliance since the Janata Parivar has already selected Nitish Kumar as the chief ministerial candidate of the state and he (Manjhi) has very unfavourable relationship with him,” Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad told ANI here.
“Manjhi doesn’t have the option to come with us. So, ultimately he will go with the NDA irrespective of the seat-share he gets in the Bihar polls,” he added.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is likely to announce the seat-sharing for Bihar Assembly polls today.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bhupender Yadav today met Manjhi, who had expressed dissatisfaction with the number of seats to be allotted to his party, at the Bihar Niwas here.
BJP president Amit Shah has so far held discussions with Manjhi, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) supremo Ram Vilas Paswan and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha to iron out differences over some seats.
Manjhi, who had initially agreed to go with the BJP president’s efforts to settle the seat-sharing, is now reportedly looking for more than 15 seats.
Polls to the 243-member Bihar Assembly will be held in five phases starting on October 12 and ending on November 5. Counting of votes will take place on November 8.