New Delhi [India], September 3 : Union Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha founder Jitan Ram Manjhi on Wednesday demanded 20 seats in the forthcoming Bihar assembly elections.
Bihar elections are expected to be held in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date.
"The common people and our workers demand that we need such seats that will save our dignity. If the NDA has sympathy for us in their hearts to grant recognition to our party, they should give us at least 20 seats in the Bihar legislative assembly election," Manjhi, former Chief Minister of Bihar, told ANI.
The Hindustani Awam Morcha is officially in alliance with the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
His demands come after the opposition wrapped up its 'Voter Adhikaar Yatra' in Bihar, highlighting the alleged disenfranchisement of Bihar voters.
The allegations of discrepancies in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise carried out by the Election Commission (EC) in Bihar ahead of the forthcoming assembly elections were levelled by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who pledged that the opposition would not let votes be stolen.
However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other leaders in the double-engine government of Bihar have lambasted the opposition, accusing them of "destroying" the Constitution and of allegedly distrusting the country's democratic processes.
The Voter Adhikaar Yatra witnessed massive public rallies in several districts of Bihar - from Sasaram to Siwan. It also witnessed clashes between Congress and BJP workers on Friday (August 29).
The BJP also demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi and his allies over the alleged abuses hurled at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother during a public rally in Darbhanga.
Bihar elections are expected to be held in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date.
While the NDA, comprising the BJP, JD(U), and LJP, aims to continue its tenure in Bihar, the INDIA bloc, comprising the RJD, Congress, and left parties, seeks to oust Nitish Kumar.
In the current Bihar Assembly of 243 members, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) consists of 131 with the BJP having 80 MLAs, JD(U)-45, HAM(S)-4, with the support of 2 Independent Candidates.
The Opposition's INDIA Bloc has a strength of 111 members with RJD leading with 77 MLAs, Congress-19, CPI(ML)-11, CPI(M)-2 and CPI-2.