Patna: The 2019 Lok Sabha election has turned out to be a major setback for regional leaders like Tejashwi Yadav, Upendra Kushwaha, and Jitan Ram Manjhi who were aspiring to play a crucial role in Bihar politics.
Sources said that these leaders and their parties have called for introspection at the organisational level to find reasons behind the humiliating defeat in the general election.
The NDA comprising of BJP, JD(U) and LJP won 39 out of 40 seats in Bihar. Congress managed only Kishanganj seat while RJD, HAM, RLSP, and VIP failed in saving their electoral space after the poll results on Thursday.
In his first hard-hitting reaction after the poll results, former Bihar chief minister and HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi said that "Modi factor and national security issue led to the crushing defeat of the Mahagathbandhan. We should sit and analyze why the Mahagathbandhan couldn't convince people the way NDA did during their campaigns. In my view, the Mahagathbandhan had no answer to NDA's national security issue. ".
Jitan Ram Manjhi who was being seen as a strong Mahadalit leader had contested from two seats but suffered a humiliating defeat by NDA candidates.
HAM sources claim that Mr. Manjhi has a major stake in the Mushahar community, a sub-caste among Dalits in Bihar. The community has a population of around 40 Lakh and was classified among Mahadalits in 2007 by chief minister Nitish Kumar.
"The NDA used surgical strikes and nationalism issue to gain in the Lok Sabha elections. But the Mahagathbandhan couldn't handle these issues and failed in convincing the voters", Mr. Manjhi said in Patna. He also slammed the BJP for playing "Hindutva card" to win the election and said that "the poll result was also fixed".
"They (BJP) tried everything to win elections. The poll result in my view was totally fixed. The NDA didn't even spare the Army and also tried to politicise the surgical strike and martyrdom of our jawans but the Mahagathbandhan had no answer to these issues and also failed in convincing the voters during campaigns", Jitan Ram Manjhi said in Patna.
