BJP lost bypoll due its own mistakes: Manjhi

Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, whose party Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), or the HAM(S), is a constituent of the ruling NDA, on Tuesday blamed ally BJP for the ruling alliance’s loss in the recent Bochchan assembly bypoll in the state.

Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, whose party Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), or the HAM(S), is a constituent of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), on Tuesday blamed ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the ruling alliance’s loss in the recent Bochchan assembly bypoll in the state.

Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. (PTI)

“Had the alliance (NDA) accepted my advice and that of Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) leader Mukesh Sahni, this would not have happened. There is no coordination committee in Bihar NDA. For this reason, BJP had to face defeat,” said Manjhi.

In 2020 Bihar polls, Bochchan was one of the four assembly seats won by VIP. The bypoll held recently was necessitated following the death of sitting MLA Musafir Paswan. Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won the seat in the bypoll, defeating its nearest rival BJP by over 30,000 votes. The VIP, which was also in the fray, finished third.

“BJP took the decision on its own and had to face defeat. In a by-election, usually a member of the deceased family is made a candidate. But BJP did not do this. The result is in front of everyone,” Manjhi said.

BJP appeared to be in agreement with Manjhi. “There was some mistake in decision making. We did not assess properly the sympathy factor at Bochchan,” said state BJP spokesperson Prem Ranjan Patel.

He, however, said there were other reasons for the defeat. “Our own party faced internal rift. Besides, BJP was contesting the seat for the first time,” said Patel.