Bihar elections: Tensions in NDA? Jitan Ram Manjhi warns Chirag Paswan over past 'mistakes'

NEW DELHI: Are the NDA allies growing wary of Chirag Paswan? Speculation is swirling after Union minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha chief Jitan Ram Manjhi warned that the Lok Janshakti Party leader would face consequences if he repeated his 2020 assembly poll strategy.

Asked whether Chirag was trying to build pressure on the NDA over seat-sharing ahead of the year-end Bihar elections, Manjhi said, "You saw what happened in 2020. He had to face the consequences of what he did. If he does the same again, the outcome will be similar. Bihar now has a double-engine government under Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar."

Praising the current NDA administration, Manjhi said progress had been made across sectors including roads, electricity, law and order, and governance.


Chirag Paswan, however, chose not to escalate the matter and responded diplomatically: "Jitan Ram Manjhi is like a father to me. Even if he says something harsh, I will accept it with respect. If the Opposition tries to project this as a rift in the alliance, they will fail."

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) used the episode to take a swipe at the NDA. Party MP Manoj Jha said, “Sometimes they say one thing, sometimes another, and sometimes it’s all in gestures—but the intent is clear. This is their internal matter. The script of such differences is often written in the Delhi darbar.”

In the 2020 assembly elections, Chirag Paswan’s LJP fielded candidates in 137 seats but won only one. However, by splitting the anti-BJP vote, particularly in JD(U) strongholds, the LJP is widely seen to have contributed to the JD(U)’s poor performance. The BJP ended up winning 74 seats, overtaking JD(U)'s 43, and emerged as the senior partner in Bihar for the first time.

The assembly election is scheduled for the end of the year, where a high-stakes battle is expected. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) — consisting of the Janata Dal (United) led by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and the Bharatiya Janata Party — will face off against the Mahagathbandhan, which includes the Congress, RJD, and Left parties.