A political firestorm has erupted in Bihar after a video surfaced featuring Union Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi making controversial claims about influencing an election result. The video, which the minister has dismissed as tampered, has provided fresh ammunition to the Opposition already alleging widespread vote chori (vote theft) in the state.
The Controversial Claims in the Viral Video
The video, said to be from a function on December 14, 2025, held to honour party workers for HAM(S)'s victory in the recent Assembly polls, purportedly shows Manjhi narrating an incident from the 2020 elections. He is allegedly heard stating that his party's candidate from Tekari, Anil Kumar, was trailing by about 2,600 votes. Manjhi claims he ensured the candidate's victory by making a phone call to an official in Gaya.
In a striking contrast, Manjhi purportedly adds that the same candidate lost the 2025 Assembly polls by 2,058 votes because he did not call him this time to request a similar favour. The minister also names a specific IAS officer, now posted in Tripura, whom he credits with helping his candidate win the 2020 election by a margin of 2,630 votes.
Political Reactions and Demands for Probe
The video has swiftly escalated into a major controversy, with opposition parties seizing upon it as evidence of institutional manipulation. The Bihar Congress spokesperson, Asit Nath Tiwari, called it an "open acceptance" of how election results are blatantly manipulated and how bureaucracy is misused. The party plans to flag the issue with the Election Commission of India.
Echoing the demand for accountability, RJD national spokesperson Subodh Kumar Mehta called for a high-level probe into the matter, emphasizing the gravity of such a statement coming from a Union Cabinet Minister. He also urged for an investigation into the conduct of the named IAS officer and expressed apprehensions about similar incidents occurring during the 2025 polls.
Defence and Denials from the NDA and Manjhi
The ruling NDA alliance has moved to defend its ally. Bihar Industry Minister and former BJP state president, Dilip Jaiswal, defended Manjhi, stating he had seen the uncut video where the minister was only referring to the slow counting process in 2020 and how his candidate was trailing until the penultimate round.
Manjhi himself has vehemently denied the video's authenticity. He asserted that the footage was tampered and circulated to tarnish his image and "dismantle Brand Manjhi." In a strong rebuttal, he said, "Some people who tampered with one of my videos... think they will defame the son of Musahar. You who spit at the sky are forgetting that the spit will fall back on them." Meanwhile, JD(U) chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar suggested the HAM(S) state president should address the questions, while cautioning the Opposition against making sweeping allegations without proper follow-up with the ECI.
The incident has intensified the ongoing political discourse in Bihar around electoral integrity, setting the stage for a protracted battle between the ruling coalition and the opposition.
