Now, Jitan Manjhi's HAM(S) wants BJP to contest 122 seats in Bihar

PATNA: HAM (Secular) led by former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi on Tuesday joined the other NDA partners' chorus, demanding that the seat-sharing process be finalized at the earliest.

Minutes after Manjhi quit his state assembly membership and was elected HAM (S) national president at its national council meeting, party convener Brishen Patel advised the BJP to contest 122 seats and leave the rest for the other NDA partners - LJP, RLSP and HAM.

"BJP should contest 122 seats so that it gains a majority and distribute the other seats among its allies," Patel said on the sidelines of the HAM (S) national council meeting.

However, LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan played down the controversy arising out of the LJP-RLSP joint press meet on Monday and said the party's parliamentary board chief and his son Chirag had fruitful talks with BJP in charge of Bihar affairs Bhupendra Yadav on Monday evening.

The LJP and RLSP state presidents had asked the BJP to contest 102 seats and allot the other 141 of the total 243 seats to its allies at the earliest keeping in view the mahagathbandhan of Nitish's JD (U), Lalu Prasad's RJD and Congress settling for 100-100-40 seats each, leaving three for the NCP which is flexing muscles to float a third front with expelled RJD MP and Jan Adhikar Party chief Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav and Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen.

Since NCP's lone Lok Sabha member from Bihar Tariq Anwar is from Katihar and Pappu's wife Ranjeet Ranjan is the Congress Lok Sabha member from Supaul, Owaisi joining their bandwagon may dent the votes of both the NDA and mahagathbandhan in the Kosi region.

In that situation, the NDA allies are resorting to pressure tactics but BJP sources said it was an exercise in futility and the party would discuss sharing of seats only after PM Narendra Modi's Bhagalpur rally on September 1.

The NDA partners have embarrassed the BJP earlier also. Despite being fully aware that the NDA CM candidate would be from the BJP, RLSP chief and Union minister Upendra Kushwaha first floated himself as the CM face last month and then Ram Vilas Paswan also threw his hat in the ring, saying Atalji wanted to see him as Bihar CM.

Though Manjhi said winds for change were blowing in Bihar and he would lead the HAM (S) to bring all communities together to unseat Nitish government, his party leader Mahachandra Prasad Singh said only BJP would decide about Pappu Yadav and HAM (S) had nothing to do with his joining the NDA.

Pappu also reacted to Mahachandra's statement and said his party had a larger public base than any of the BJP allies in Bihar.