Manjhi quits assembly seat, elected HAM(Secular) president

Bracing for the Bihar assembly polls, former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who parted ways with JD(U), was today 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 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.

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.