Bracing for the Bihar assembly polls, former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who parted ways with JD(U), was on Tuesday elected as national president of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), Secular, hours after resigning from membership of the state legislative assembly. At a meeting of the national representatives of HAM (Secular) at a hotel here, senior party leader and former agriculture minister Narendra Singh moved a proposal for election of Manjhi as the outfit's national president which was approved by consensus, the HAM (Secular) spokesman Danish Rizwan said. In a thanksgiving speech, the former chief minister said winds for the change of guard in Bihar was blowing and asked all his party colleagues and workers to work hard to bring the NDA to power. Bihar assembly polls are due later this year. The term of the 243-member Bihar assembly ends on 29 November. [related-post] Manjhi said that contrary to the secular alliance leaders who were playing caste politics for power, he would lead the HAM (Secular) in bringing all communities together to unseat the incumbent government from power during the forthcoming assembly polls in Bihar. Amid some NDA constituents - LJP and RLSP - airing their views in public for finalization of seat-sharing at the earliest, the former chief minister disapproved haggling over the issue and urged all partners to discuss the issue at the appropriate forum of the alliance. Earlier in the day, Manjhi met the legislative assembly acting secretary Hare Ram Mukhiya and submitted a letter to him resigning as MLA. Mukhiya too confirmed the development saying that the former chief minister met him in his office and submitted a letter quitting his membership of legislative assembly with immediate effect. The notification with regard to Manjhi's resignation from the legislative assembly will be issued in due course of time, he said. A sixth-term MLA, the 70-year-old former chief minister represented Makhdumpur (SC) seat in Jehanabad district on JD(U) ticket. Handpicked by the incumbent chief minister Nitish Kumar as his successor post-debacle in the general elections last year, Manjhi fell out with his predecessor after being asked to quit earlier this year by the JD(U) leadership. The former chief minister quit office on February 20 exactly nine months after taking oath as Chief Minister on May 20 last year and subsequently formed another political party - Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), Secular - along with other disgruntled leaders of the JD(U). Manjhi has since joined the BJP-led NDA. The former chief minister was expelled from the party in the wake of his refusal to quit the Chief Minister's post initially and was promptly declared as an unattached member of the house by the Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary. He, however, did not attend any state legislative assembly sittings during budget and monsoon seasons this year apparently to stave off embarrassment as he was required to sit on the treasury benches and comply with whip of the ruling party.
