Patna, March 16 – Amidst the voting for five Rajya Sabha seats in Bihar, political circles were abuzz on Monday after two members of Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's family were seen exiting the chamber of the Leader of the Opposition, Tejashwi Yadav, inside the state Assembly.
The development drew attention as voting for the Rajya Sabha elections was underway in the state Assembly.
Deepa Manjhi, an MLA from the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) from Imamganj and the daughter-in-law of Jitan Ram Manjhi, along with her mother Jyoti Manjhi, were seen leaving Tejashwi Yadav's chamber after a brief interaction.
Shortly after they exited the room, Akhtarul Iman, President of the State All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), and A.D. Singh of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) were also seen leaving the chamber.
The meeting quickly sparked speculation in political circles, particularly within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
However, both Deepa Manjhi and Jyoti Manjhi clarified that they had entered Tejashwi Yadav's room by mistake and that there was no political significance to the interaction.
According to sources, the two leaders had reached the state Assembly before the voting process began and briefly stepped into the chamber for a short conversation before leaving.
Despite the clarification, the incident triggered discussions in political corridors, with some observers interpreting it as a routine courtesy call while others linked it to internal political equations.
Leaders of Manjhi's party, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), also dismissed the incident as an inadvertent entry.
Jitan Ram Manjhi's family holds several elected positions in Bihar's political landscape.
Manjhi himself won the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Gaya seat and currently serves as the Union Minister for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.
His son, Santosh Kumar Suman, is a member of the Bihar Legislative Council and also serves as a Minister in the current state government led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Meanwhile, Deepa Manjhi is the MLA from Imamganj, while Jyoti Manjhi represents the Barachatti Assembly constituency in the Bihar Assembly.
Voting is currently being held for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states in the country.
In Bihar, elections are taking place for five seats, with a polling station set up inside the Bihar Assembly.