Patna, October 15, 2025 (India News Reporter Desk / Mukesh Bharatiy): Ah, Bihar politics that eternal Bollywood blockbuster where the scriptwriters are drunk on chai and conspiracy theories, and the plot twists come faster than a rickshaw dodging potholes. Enter stage left: Jitan Ram Manjhi, the self-proclaimed ‘Super Bhakt’ of PM Modi, whose Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) has just turned the NDA’s seat-sharing deal into a full-blown family reunion. Six seats?
More like six invitations to the Manjhi Mahabharata, complete with in-laws, out-laws, and enough nepotism to make a Kardashian blush. Is this NDA’s masterstroke to woo Dalit voters, or just another episode of ‘Keeping Up with the Manjhis’? Grab your popcorn, folks – the tamasha is in town, and the boat might just sink under the weight of wedding garlands.
The In-Law Invasion: When Politics Meets the Pandal of Pandemonium
Picture this: It’s not Diwali, but you’d swear it was from the fireworks of favoritism exploding across Bihar’s dusty constituencies. Manjhi Sahab, ever the doting patriarch, unveiled his candidate list yesterday like a proud uncle at a baraat, only to reveal that half the lineup could audition for a sequel to Fiddler on the Roof if it were set in a Gaya village with more relatives than voters. Out of those precious six lollipops tossed by the NDA (while BJP and JD(U) hog 101 each, and Chirag Paswan’s LJP snags 29 like a kid at a candy store), Manjhi has reserved prime spots for the family album.
Let’s break it down, shall we? Because nothing says ‘inclusive democracy’ like turning the ballot box into a family WhatsApp group:
- Barachatti: Jyoti Devi, Manjhi’s samdhan (that’s daughter-in-law’s mother for the uninitiated in Hindi soap operas). She’s not just family; she’s the one who probably brews the perfect cup of adrak chai while whispering campaign strategies. Sitting MLA, naturally because why promote from outside when the kitchen has all the talent?
- Imamganj: Deepa Kumari (née Manjhi), the actual bahu extraordinaire, wife to Manjhi’s son and Bihar minister Santosh Suman. She’s defending her seat like it’s her mangalsutra, proving that in Manjhiworld, marital bliss translates directly to electoral bliss. Who needs policy papers when you’ve got a killer saree and in-law endorsements?
- Tikari: Anil Kumar, another sitting MLA who’s apparently the family’s go-to guy for ‘reliable uncle’ vibes. No direct blood tie mentioned, but in Bihar politics, that’s just code for ‘he’s been at every family function since 1990.’
- Atri: Romit Kumar, Manjhi’s nephew because every self-respecting dynasty needs a bhatija to carry the torch (or the family silver). Fresh-faced and eager, he’s the one relatives pat on the back while muttering, ‘Beta, don’t embarrass us like that cousin in the last election.’
- Sikandara: Prafull Kumar Manjhi, sitting MLA and the name that screams ‘Manjhi 4 Life.’ Is he a cousin? A second cousin twice removed? Who cares the surname seals the deal, like a royal warrant in a maharaja’s court.
- Kutumba: Lalan Ram, the lone ranger outsider (or is he? Bihar’s family trees are more like family forests). This one’s a direct shot at Congress chief Rajesh Ram’s stronghold, because nothing spices up a family feud like poaching the opponent’s turf.
It’s a veritable satsang of surnames, with three spots explicitly hogged by the extended clan. Manjhi posted the list on X with a triumphant ‘Vijayi Bhava!’ victorious be thou! – as if he’d just conquered the Mahabharata instead of turning it into a Mahabrat. One Patna chaiwala, nursing his glass of kadak brew, summed it up with a guffaw: ‘HAM stands for ‘Hindustani Awam Morcha,’ but this ticket distribution? More like ‘Hamara Apna Mohalla’ our own neighborhood cartel. Voters might as well get EVMs with ‘Family First’ buttons.’
NDA’s Hot Potato: From Dynasty-Bashing to Dynasty-Embracing in 60 Seconds Flat
Oh, the irony! These are the same NDA warriors who spend election seasons hurling ‘parivarvaad’ grenades at the opposition like they’re auditioning for a Tom and Jerry reboot. RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav? ‘Dynasty Don!’ Chirag Paswan? ‘Nepo Baby Extraordinaire!’ Tejashwi Yadav? ‘Silver Spoon Socialist!’ BJP and JD(U) tongues wag faster than a Patna summer fan, decrying family fiefdoms as the death of democracy.
But lo and behold, when Manjhi rolls out the red carpet for his sussural circus complete with samdhan, bahu, and bhatija the NDA’s collective spine turns to jelly. Crickets from Nitish Kumar’s camp. Muted murmurs from BJP brass. It’s like they’ve all signed a secret NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) on nepotism. Why? Because Manjhi’s got that Dalit vote whisperer magic a pocketful of Mahadalit loyalty that’s kept HAM afloat since its 2015 splinter from JD(U). With elections looming on November 6 and 11 (counting November 14, for those scoring at home), alienating him could turn the boat into a sieve faster than you can say ‘seat-sharing squabble.’
Yet, whispers in Patna’s power corridors suggest this isn’t strategy; it’s majboori – compulsion. Manjhi himself griped about the ‘deep dissatisfaction’ among HAM workers over those measly six seats, hinting at rebellion by threatening to field rebels in Chirag’s turf like Makhdumpur and Bodh Gaya. ‘Their anger is justified,’ he thundered, as if auditioning for a villain role in a Bhojpuri blockbuster. The NDA’s response? Shrug and smile – better a family-loaded ally than a family-less fracture.
Bhakt or Bloodline Zealot? Manjhi’s Modi Mantra Meets the Family Altar
Manjhi’s Modi fandom is legendary he’s the guy who’d build a Ram Mandir to the PM if concrete quotas allowed. Every rally? ‘Modi ji ki jai!’ Every tweet? A hashtag hymn to the chaiwala-turned-chakravarti. It’s this devotion that netted HAM those six seats, a crumb from the NDA table that Manjhi’s spun into a feast for the fam.
But is it bhakti for the nation or khiladi for the kin? Social media’s savage: One X user quipped, ‘Manjhi’s real temple isn’t in Ayodhya it’s his drawing room, where every chair’s reserved for a relative. #FamilyFirstNDA.’ Another meme festooned a photo of Manjhi with his clan: ‘When your party slogan is ‘Awam’ but your candidate list reads ‘Ammaji, Bahu, and Bhatija Inc.’‘ In Gaya’s gullies, the chatter’s thicker than monsoon mud: ‘He opened the family registry before the voter list why scout talent outside when the gene pool’s this deep?’
Critics cackle that this isn’t empowerment; it’s enclosure. Dalit voters, Manjhi’s supposed base, are scratching heads: ‘We voted for a voice, not a ventriloquist act starring his son’s wife.’ Yet, in a state where caste calculus trumps charisma, Manjhi’s betting the family brand will bank the ballots.
Opposition’s Open Season: Tomatoes or Tandav for the NDA Tamasha?
The INDIA bloc – that ragtag rebellion of RJD, Congress, Lefties, and Mukesh Sahani’s VIP smells bloodier than a Patna fish market. ‘Manjhi’s turned NDA’s boat into a floating wedding pandal!’ roared an RJD spokesperson, barely containing his glee. ‘Samdhan on stage left, bahu center, bhatija lurking right next up, the family dog from the pet constituency?’ Congress, still licking wounds from Kutumba’s poach, piled on: ‘This isn’t alliance; it’s an arranged marriage gone wrong. Bihar’s aunties are laughing finally, a drama where the in-laws win the sangeet!’
Tejashwi Yadav’s camp is already meme-ing it up: Photoshopped images of Manjhi as a ringmaster, cracking the whip over a circus of suited relatives. One viral post: ‘NDA’s new slogan: ‘Sabka Saath, Parivar Ka Saath Zyada’ everyone’s with us, but family’s with us forever!’ They’re predicting a voter backlash not votes, but virtual tomatoes raining down on November’s polls. ‘Bihar’s fed up with this siyasi saas-bahu serial,’ sniped a local trader over samosas. ‘Manjhi should rebrand HAM as ‘Hamara Apna Mohalla Party’ at least the hypocrisy would be honest.’
Even Prashant Kishor’s shiny new Jan Suraaj is dipping a toe: ‘Dynasties die hard in Bihar – but this one’s auditioning for Bigg Boss.’ The opposition’s thesis? Manjhi’s nepotism isn’t a net gain; it’s a net drag, alienating the awam in favor of the apne log.
Chanakya’s Checkmate or Self-Sabotage? The NDA’s High-Wire Act
So, what’s the NDA game here? Genius realpolitik, harnessing Manjhi’s Mahadalit magnetism to shore up their 2020 near-miss (when RJD’s 75 edged BJP’s 74)? Or a desperate duct-tape fix on a fracturing facade, where six seats to a grumbling groom keeps the wedding afloat? Analysts in air-conditioned AC rooms opine: It’s both – and neither. Manjhi’s clout can’t be ignored; his 2020 four-seater haul (including family gems) proved that. But loading the list with kin? That’s like arming your army with feather dusters – flashy, but futile against a Tejashwi tornado.
Whispers from BJP war rooms: ‘Let him play papa; we’ll play papa bear if it backfires.’ JD(U)’s Nitish, the eternal tightrope walker, stays schtum after all, he once elevated Manjhi to CM only to yank the rug. Now, with LJP’s 29-seat windfall fueling envy (Chirag’s got more seats than a multiplex), the alliance feels like a powder keg with party poppers.
Social media’s a meme monsoon: Gifs of sinking ships captioned ‘NDA with Manjhi’s family aboard.’ One viral: Manjhi as Titanic captain, relatives rearranging deck chairs.
Epilogue: Will the Boat Beach or Become Bait?
As the sun sets on another day of Bihar’s siyasi soap, Manjhi’s clan claps for cameras, Modi posters gleam on walls, and voters scroll memes over biryani. This family-fueled fiasco has Bihar buzzing is it magic to mesmerize the masses, or mockery that’ll maroon the NDA mid-Ganges? With polls a mere three weeks away, one thing’s certain: The tamasha’s trumped the tactics. Manjhi thumps his chest: ‘Vijayi bhava!’ But the awam? They’re chanting, ‘Janam samjha karo explain this circus, or we’ll vote it into oblivion.’
Stay tuned, Bihar in this theater of the absurd, the intermission’s over, and the clowns are family. Will the boat dock in victory, or drift into dynasty’s dumpster fire? Only the EVMs know… and they’re not spilling yet.
