Union Minister Manjhi rejects viral clip alleging poll manipulation, opposition seeks probe
New Delhi : A video circulating on social media that allegedly shows Union Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi claiming to have influenced the outcome of a past Assembly election has sparked a political controversy in Bihar, prompting sharp reactions from the Opposition and denials from the ruling alliance.
The clip, said to be from a party function held on December 14 to felicitate HAM (S) workers after the 2025 Assembly elections, purportedly features Manjhi stating that his intervention helped his party’s Tekari candidate Anil Kumar secure victory in the 2020 polls despite trailing by over 2,600 votes. In the same video, he is allegedly heard saying that the candidate lost the 2025 election because he did not seek similar help this time. Manjhi is also alleged to have named an IAS officer who is currently posted in Tripura, as having assisted in the 2020 victory, decided by a margin of 2,630 votes. In 2025, the same candidate lost by 2,058 votes.
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Calling the video “tampered” and accusing his political rivals of attempting to malign his reputation, Manjhi has rejected the allegations. He said the clip was being circulated to damage what he described as “Brand Manjhi” and insisted that he had never spoken about manipulating election outcomes, as reported by The Indian Express. Asserting his social and political standing, Manjhi said attempts to defame him would fail and warned that those spreading such content would face consequences.
The Opposition has renewed the allegations of electoral malpractice. Bihar Congress spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari said the clip amounted to an open admission of manipulation of election results and misuse of the bureaucracy and added that the party was considering approaching the Election Commission of India over the issue. Calling the purported statement of a Union Cabinet minister “extremely serious” and seeking a probe into the role of the IAS officer named in the video, Rashtriya Janata Dal national spokesperson Subodh Kumar Mehta also demanded a high-level inquiry,
Claiming that Manjhi was only referring to the slow pace of vote counting in 2020, the Bihar Industry Minister and former BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal said he had seen the full, unedited version of the video and mentioned that this reference was about his candidate who was trailing until the final rounds before eventually winning.
Janata Dal (United) chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said the matter should be addressed by the HAM (S) leadership, cautioning the Opposition against making broad allegations without formal complaints and noted that merely raising questions would not suffice.
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RCB beat MI by 18 runs after batters fire
Mumbai (PTI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli blasted half-centuries as the defending champions beat Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.
Salt (78 off 36 balls) and Kohli (50 off 38 balls) stitched together a 120-run stand for the opening wicket before Patidar scored a rapid 53 off just 20 balls as RCB posted 240 for 4.
In response, Mumbai Indians were restricted to 222 for 5, with RCB spinner Suyash Sharma (2/47) putting the skids on the home side with a double strike in the eighth over, from which they could not recover.
Sherfane Rutherford top-scored for MI with an unbeaten 71 off 31 balls.
While opener Rohit Sharma appeared to be struggling with a hamstring issue and had to retire hurt on 19, his partner Ryan Rickelton made 37, while Suryakumar Yadav (33) and Hardik Pandya (40) were the other contributors for MI.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 240 for 4 in 20 overs (Phil Salt 78, Virat Kohli 50, Rajat Patidar 53, Tim David 35 not out).
Mumbai Indians: 222 for 5 in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 71 not out, Ryan Rickelton 37, Hardik Pandya 40; Suyash Sharma 2/47).
