NEW DELHI, Dec 19: The union minister and the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) founder leader Jitan Ram Manjhi on Thursday faced allegations of “vote rigging” after a purported video of him declaring that he had ensured the victory of a trailing party candidate in the just-concluded Bihar Assembly elections went viral.
Mr Manjhi, however, has denied the allegations claiming that the video was “doctored.”
In the video, Mr Manjhi is allegedly heard saying in Magahi language: “In 2020, he (Anil Kumar) was losing the election by 2,700 votes and called me asking for a solution. So I tried, and he won.” Mr Kumar was the party’s candidate from the Tikari Assembly seat.
What went wrong?’” Mr Manjhi further says he would have ensured Mr Kumar’s victory this time as well if the candidate had informed him on time.
The former Chief Minister had allegedly given the speech in Gaya on December 14 at a felicitation ceremony for HAM(S) MLA Jyoti Devi, who was elected from Barachatti Assembly constituency. However, contrary to his claims, according to the Election Commission website, it was Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate Ajay Kumar who emerged the winner in the 2020 election in Tikari, defeating Mr Kumar by a margin of 2,058 votes.
The RJD shared the video on its X page. “This is Jitan Ram Manjhi Ji, Cabinet Minister in Government of India, delivering a resounding slap on the face of a petty, servile Commissioner like Thugesh Kumar (referring to the Chief Election Commissioner of India, Gyanesh Kumar) from an open public platform, exposing the royal formula for winning elections through rigging of results and machinery, and foul play,” it said.
It further said, “He reveals how his party, despite losing by 2,700 votes in 2020, still managed to win the Tikari seat, and how Abhishek Singh — the then corrupt, casteist, incompetent, unworthy, and illegitimate District Magistrate, posted on deputation in Bihar from the 2006 batch of Tripura cadre — forgot his oath and unethically helped rig the election in their favour.”
“Is this what democracy looks like? This is the true face of Mr Modi’s artificial popularity. These people conspired to make a failed attempt for the political assassination of a young leader like Tejashwi Yadav in both elections,” the party said in the post. It further asked how long the truth can be hidden and how long they can keep winning fake elections with the help of corrupt officers.
Reacting to the allegations, Mr Manjhi posted on X, “Some people who tampered with one of my videos to make it go viral think they can defame the son of a Musahaar (community). I want to tell such people that now, no one can either insult the son of a Musahaar or fool him.” He added, “Those who spit at the sky forget the spit will fall back on their own face. Now, Mr Manjhi is a brand and no longer afraid of anyone.” The HAM(S) won five out of six seats it contested in the 2025 election as part of the National Democratic Alliance.
(Rohit Kumar)
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