Union Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi found himself at the centre of a political storm on Saturday after he sought to clarify his earlier remarks about ensuring a candidate's victory from the Tekari assembly seat in the 2020 Bihar polls. The senior leader, who had initially claimed he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, later stated he was only referring to a legitimate recount of votes.
From 'Ensuring Victory' to 'Recount Request'
Addressing reporters in Patna, Manjhi alleged that his previous statement had been twisted. He insisted he was talking solely about the electoral process of vote recounting and not any form of manipulation. "What I meant was that our Tekari candidate, Anil Kumar, should not have run away; rather, he should have demanded a recounting," Manjhi explained.
He recalled the 2020 incident, stating that when his candidate was trailing by 2,700 votes, they requested a recount from the then Gaya District Magistrate. The DM agreed, and after the recount, their candidate emerged victorious. Manjhi expressed regret that in the recent elections, the same candidate lost by 1,600 votes and did not consult him or seek a recount, instead choosing to concede defeat.
Son's Defence: Adding 'Romance' to the Story
Coming to his father's defence, Santosh Kumar Suman, a minor water resources minister in the Bihar government, said Manjhi's reference to the District Magistrate was merely to add "romance" to his narrative. Suman strongly denied any wrongdoing and described the Election Commission as an independent and transparent body.
"He (Manjhi) narrated the 2020 story just to, perhaps, add romance to his conversation and nothing else," Suman said, emphasising that his father never intended to undermine the poll authority. He asserted that every election winner secures victory through voter support alone.
Political Fallout and 'Vote Chori' Controversy
The controversy erupted after a video went viral where Manjhi was heard saying he lost a seat "by mistake" this time because his candidate did not consult him for a "solution" (upay), unlike in 2020 when he "helped him win." These remarks triggered sharp reactions from INDIA bloc partners, who accused the Union Minister of revealing large-scale poll rigging in Bihar and claimed their worst fears about electoral integrity were confirmed.
Manjhi also shared a personal anecdote from the 1990 assembly elections, where he lost by a mere 182 votes. His request for a recount was denied by the DM at the time, leading him to believe the outcome could have been different.
The episode has reignited the contentious "vote chori" (vote theft) debate in Bihar's political landscape, with opposition parties seizing on the statements to question the fairness of past elections.
