Lok Sabha election result: HAM's Jitan Ram Manjhi wins Bihar's Gaya seat with over 4 lakh votes
Bihar election result: Gaya went to the polls on April 19 in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
Founder of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), Jitan Ram Manjhi, won the Gaya seat in Bihar by a margin of 1,01,812 votes. Manjhi defeated RJD candidate Kumar Sarvjeet. Follow Bihar Lok Sabha election LIVE coverage here
While Manjhi garnered 4,94,960 votes, the RJD candidate received 3,93,148 votes, according to the Election Commission data.
Gaya went to the polls on April 19 in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
The seat was represented by Vijay Kumar, alias Vijay Manjhi of JD(U), who defeated Jitan Ram Manjhi in 2019 by a margin of 15,2426 votes. In 2014, BJP's Hari Manjhi had won the seat, defeating RJD's Ramji Manjhi.
Gaya is religiously significant because it is on the banks of the Falgu River. The internationally acclaimed Mahabodhi Mahavihara (temple), where Gautam Buddha received enlightenment, is located in the constituency. Along with this, the seat is reserved for scheduled castes.
Manjhi, the founding president of the HAM, served as the Bihar chief minister from 2014 to 2015 while affiliated with Nitish Kumar's JD(U) party. However, after the 2014 Lok Sabha election, JD(U) ended its alliance with the BJP-led NDA in the state, causing instability in Manjhi's government. After 10 months, JD(U) asked Manjhi to resign to make Nitish Kumar the CM. But he refused, which led to the JD(U) expelling Manjhi.
Before 2014, Manjhi has served as minister for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes welfare in Nitish Kumar's cabinet. He was also a minister in the RJD state government from 1996 to 2005 - first under the chief ministership of Lalu Prasad Yadav and then his wife Rabri Devi, who took the chair of CM after Yadav was convicted in the fodder scam.
The HAM founder was also affiliated with several political parties during his journey: the Indian National Congress (1980–1990), the Janata Dal (1990–1996), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (1996–2005), and the JD(U) (2005–2015).
In May 2015, Manjhi announced a new political party - the HAM.
