Hindustani Awam Morch (Secular) chief and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, a partner of Grand Alliance (GA), on Saturday demanded five seats to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
HAM-S is a partner of the six-party alliance comprising RJD, Congress, RLSP, LJD and VIP.
Addressing a press conference in Patna, he said the decision to contest on five seats was taken at the party's parliamentary board meeting held on Saturday.
Manjhi said the 11-member parliamentary board took the decision based on the caste equation in constituencies and the party’s winnability factor. He said the GA partners had broadly agreed on allotting four seats to the HAM-S.
“We have a very crucial meeting on Sunday with the GA, where the partners will agree on our demand. The GA will make a formal announcement of seats on Monday,” he said. He, however, did not disclose which seats the party would contest from.
To a question that what he would do if the GA allots three seats to the HAM-S, he said a decision would be taken after formal announcement was made in this regard.
{{/usCountry}}To a question that what he would do if the GA allots three seats to the HAM-S, he said a decision would be taken after formal announcement was made in this regard.
{{/usCountry}}The demand of HAM-S is a change from the stand which Manjhi took a month back in which he had demanded not less than 20 seats. He had even said he would quit the GA if his demand was not met. He later had scaled down his demand to 11 seats.