A day after the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) withdrew from the Mahagathbandhan alliance in Bihar after earlier announcing that it would contest the upcoming assembly polls on six seats independently, a party leader has blamed the Congress as well as the Rashtriya Janata Dal for the situation.
JMM leader Manoj Pandey said the party had waited patiently for clarity from the opposition alliance in Bihar, but the wait reached its limit. We did not get included in the alliance, he added.
“We hold the RJD and, somewhere, Congress also responsible for the confusion. We did not get a proper place there (in the Mahagathbandhan). We did not want to break the alliance. The party had already made up its mind on six seats, but then from the INDIA alliance side, it was said that you will be accommodated. The wait reached its limit and we did not get any place in the alliance. Only confusion was created here… The party decided that we will stay out of the elections,” the JMM leader was quoted as saying by ANI.
#WATCH | Ranchi, Jharkhand: On the seat sharing in Mahagathbandhan, JMM leader Manoj Pandey says “… We hold RJD and, somewhere, Congress also responsible for the confusion. We did not get a proper place there (in the Mahagathbandhan). We did not want to break the alliance. The… pic.x.com/p9uuO9yNRa
— ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2025
Jharkhand Minister and JMM leader Sudivya Kumar, who had made the announcement with regard to the party deciding not to contest the Bihar election, had blamed the “political cunning” of the leading party in the Mahagathbandhan for harming the prospects of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. Kumar said the party’s aspirations to fight the Bihar elections have been shattered.
“With great regret, JMM is compelled to state that the party will not be participating in this election. The political cunning of the leading party in the Bihar alliance has harmed the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. It has shattered our aspiration to contest the elections in Bihar,” Kumar told reporters.
The minister accused the RJD as well as the Congress of political deceit. The state minister warned that the two parties will face the consequences of the development in the future.
Kumar was quoted as saying that the JMM has participated in a meeting on seat-sharing on October 7 in Patna. Since then, till October 20, the RJD engaged in manipulation and the Congress supported it alliance partner in this behaviour, he added.
The JMM, amid delay in clarity on seat-sharing, had announced on October 18 that it will contest the Bihar elections independently on six seats and not as part of Mahagathbandhan.
“Dhamdaha, Chakai, Katoria, Manihari, Jamui and Pirpainti – we will contest these. The situation everywhere is different. Why is Congress contesting against RJD? Why is CPI contesting against VIP? Election strategies change,” JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya had announced.
Reacting to the JMM pulling out of the Bihar polls, JDU leader Rajeev Ranjan Prasad took a dig at the opposition alliance.
“Mahagathbandhan is going through existential crisis in Bihar. Internal rift is clearly visible as candidates are filing nominations against each other… RJD has a past record of ‘jungle raj’ attached to their name. Bihar’s side effect should be visible in Jharkhand. If JMM have any self-esteem left, they should also show exit doors to RJD in Jharkhand… RJD did not care for JMM in Bihar,” Prasad stated.