Patna, Feb 28 (IBNS) : Hindustani Awam Morcha chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Media reports quoted HAM spokesperson Danish Rizwan as saying on Wednesday that Manjhi will join hands with the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance comprising JD(U), RJD and Congress) in the state.
The development came after Manjhi met Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav at his residence.
Manjhi, who once was the Dalit face of the Janata Dal (U) at a time when the party was rivalry with the BJP, quit the organisation and came close to the NDA after being forced to step down as Chief Minister to make room for Nitish Kumar in 2015.
He had fought the 2015 Assembly polls as part of the NDA which lost to the Grand Alliance.
Political turns and twists have now brought Nitish Kumar once again in alliance with the BJP and forced Manjhi to sever ties with the saffron party.
In signs of he being unhappy with the ruling coalition in Bihar, Manjhi had on Sunday expressed displeasure on his party being overlooked for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. He had demanded that HAM be allotted one Rajya Sabha seat, failing which the party would not support the BJP-led coalition in the next one Lok Sabha and two Assembly by-polls.
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