India News | Jitan Ram Manjhi Says Would Seek over 20 Seats for His Party in Bihar Assembly Polls

Jehanabad/Patna, Feb 2 (PTI) Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Sunday asserted that his Hindustani Awam Morcha would seek "more than 20 seats" in elections to the 243-strong Bihar assembly, due later this year.

The former chief minister made the averment while interacting with journalists in Jehanabad, where he had gone to address a function of his four-MLA-strong party.

Also Read | 'Dil Walo Ki Dilli Ko Ab BJP Sarkar Chahiye': BJP Launches 4th Campaign Song 3 Days Ahead of Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 (Watch Video).

"We are strengthening the party structure which would help Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar," the 80-year-old lone MP of HAM said.

When asked about a recent speech in which he spoke of the need for his party to have "20 MLAs" to fulfil the promises it has made to the people, Manjhi said, "Yes, and for that we need more than 20 seats to contest."

Also Read | Dalit Girl Rape-Murder in Ayodhya: 'Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad Doing Drama' UP CM Yogi Adityanath Responds After SP Leader Breaks Down During Press Conference Over Incident (Watch Video).

"We are in a family. If our share is of four rotis but we are given only one, we will not quietly stand in a corner," said the veteran leader in characteristic earthy style.

The Union minister hosted a feast at his Patna residence later in the day, attended by Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, the chief minister, and Deputy CM and senior BJP leader Samrat Choudhary.

Speaking to reporters on the occasion, Manjhi said, "Such gatherings help us maintain good coordination within the NDA, which you journalists try to disturb by mischievous rumour mongering."

He also showered effusive praise on Modi government for "extending more benefits to Bihar than the state would have got if it were granted special category status".

"Yesterday's budget was as generous towards Bihar as the one presented a year ago. This will boost the NDA's prospects in assembly polls, a reason why the opposition has grown wary and started saying the state was getting too much attention," said Manjhi, in an apparent reference to remarks of Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)