Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) President and former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi announced on Monday that his party would not be participating in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Bihar.
Our party will not contest even one Lok Sabha seat in Bihar in 2024, said Manjhi to reporters in Patna.
Manjhi also revealed that he had not been invited to a crucial opposition party meeting on June 23 but did not seem bothered by it. Our leader is Nitish Kumar… I will not attend the meeting. It is not a matter for me, he said.
Nevertheless, Manjhi expressed hope that the meeting would result in successful opposition unity efforts in the state. I firmly believe that everyone has to be optimistic. Bihar is a place where a large number of international events happen and become successful. Nitish Ji is working for a good cause. The leaders of different political parties are assembling in Patna for the opposition unity and it has to become successful, he said.
This is a change of tune from earlier statements by Manjhi, who had previously claimed that HAM would field candidates in five Lok Sabha seats and had even met with Nitish Kumar, the chief of the ruling Janata Dal (United) party.
Manjhi’s decision not to participate may have ramifications for opposition unity plans, which seek to bring together a number of disparate parties in Bihar to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, Manjhi’s loyalty to Nitish Kumar indicates that he may still play a role in any future opposition coalition efforts.
