DH Exclusive | Jitan Ram Manjhi may be the new Speaker of Bihar Assembly

Former Chief Minister of Bihar, Jitan Ram Manjhi, is likely to be the new Speaker of the State Assembly. At least two senior NDA sources confirmed it to DH here on Friday that Manjhi, who defeated the former Assembly Speaker and RJD nominee Uday Narayan Choudhary in the naxal-infested Imamganj in Gaya, may be the new Speaker. A formal announcement is likely after Diwali when the NDA will convene a meeting in this regard.

Manjhi, the president of Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM), who has been elected Leader of HAM Legislature Party, did not confirm or deny about his new assignment but he did say he was not interested in any ministerial berth any more.

Also read — Manjhi elected HAM legislature party leader, says won't accept ministerial berth

“I have already been Chief Minister of Bihar. Though there have been precedences of a Chief Minister becoming a minister later (Kedar Pandey and Daroga Rai in Bihar, besides in Punjab – Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Gujarat - Suresh Mehta and Tamil Nadu - Pannerselvam), I am of the firm opinion that I will not be a minister any more,” averred Manjhi.

A top source close to Manjhi, however, confirmed it to DH that “most probably Manjhi Ji will be the new Speaker,” when asked about the former CM’s role in the new regime.

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A senior source from Nitish camp too confirmed to DH that “the BJP was keen to have its Speaker this time, as the JD(U) has been having its own leader as the Speaker since 2005, but the saffron camp was told about HAM chief Manjhi’s seniority and his inclination to take over as the next Speaker.”

Sources said the Bihar BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal met Manjhi at his residence to read his mind but termed the meeting as a courtesy call. “Since Manjhi’s outfit won four seats out of seven it contested, I came here to congratulate him,” said the Bihar BJP chief.

Nitish, who is likely to be elected as the leader of the JD(U) Legislature Party as well as the NDA leader, and will be sworn in as the next Chief Minister of Bihar for the fourth straight term (technically it will be his seventh oath as CM, including his seven-day stint in March 2000), too would like Manjhi to be the Speaker for three reasons.

First, Manjhi has the rare distinction of working under seven Chief Ministers (since 1980) before himself donning the mantle of Chief Ministership in May 2014. Second, he represents the Mahadalits, the numerically-strong community, assiduously cultivated by Nitish. And third, Manjhi defeated Uday Narayan Choudhary, a former aide of Nitish, who served as Bihar Assembly Speaker from 2005 to 2015 in the NDA regime, before shifting his allegiance to the RJD.