Bihar boasts one of the most fascinating political histories in India. With Assembly polls underway in the state, The Indian Express brings a series of articles tracing Bihar’s politics through the tenure of its 23 chief ministers. This article tells the story of Jitan Ram Manjhi, Bihar’s 23rd chief minister. Click here to read about his predecessor, Rabri Devi.In May 2014, when his Janata Dal (United) was decimated in the general election and performed poorly in the assembly by-polls, Nitish Kumar made a risky political gambit for survival. He broke ranks with ally Bharatiya Janata Party, resigned as chief minister, and named his close aide Jitan Ram Manjhi, a low-profile loyalist from Bihar’s Mahadalit Mushahar community as his successor.The move – aimed at preserving Nitish’s influence while buying time – thrust Manjhi, a low-profile loyalist from the Mushahar (Mahadalit) community, into national politics. Hitherto known mainly within party circles, Manjhi, sworn in as Bihar’s 23rd chief minister on May 20, 2014, has since risen through the political ranks and is today the Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. His political journey has been one of persistence rather than prominence.Born in 1944 in Bihar’s Gaya, Manjhi, who was first elected to the Bihar Assembly from Fatehpur in 1980 on a Congress (I) ticket, served as Minister of State in Chandrashekhar Singh’s government in 1984 and held portfolios in subsequent Congress governments until 1988.In 1995, he joined the Janata Dal – a party to which he had lost five years earlier – and although he lost that year’s assembly election, he won a 1996 bypoll from Barachatti.When Lalu Prasad Yadav orchestrated a split in the Janata Dal, he joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal and won the 2000 assembly election from Bodh Gaya. In 2005, after losing to the National Democratic Alliance, he switched to Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and again unsuccessfully contested from Fatehpur, this time as an NDA candidate.In the assembly election held eight months later, Manjhi fought and won from Barachatti. In 2010, he moved to Makhdumpur and retained the seat.Story continues below this adThe gambitIn the lead-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Bihar’s political landscape was in flux. Narendra Modi, named head of the BJP’s campaign committee on June 10, 2013, was soaring in popularity and had energised the party’s national ambitions.With most opposition stalwarts either old, discredited or politically irrelevant, Nitish Kumar, with his clean image and long tenure, appeared the only non-BJP leader capable of taking on Modi.That calculus changed on June 16, 2013, when Nitish severed his 17-year alliance with the BJP over Modi’s elevation. All BJP ministers resigned from his government, and Nitish resolved to contest the 2014 polls independently.The gamble backfired spectacularly. The JD(U) won just two of Bihar’s 40 Lok Sabha and one of five assembly seats where bypolls were held. Accepting responsibility for the rout, Nitish resigned on May 20, 2014.Story continues below this adWhat followed was a political masterstroke. Realising that JD(U) could not hold the state on its own, Nitish orchestrated a transition that preserved his influence while buying time. He handed the chief minister’s chair to Manjhi – a move drawing parallels with Satish Prasad Singh’s five-day stint to facilitate B P Mandal’s entry into the legislature.Manjhi, sworn in on May 20, 2014, immediately threw himself into preparations for the 2015 assembly elections.The rebellionHowever, unlike Satish Prasad Singh, Manjhi refused to be a mere caretaker. As 2015 approached and Nitish began to assert himself once again, Manjhi refused to cede the chair, cultivating a base among the state’s Mahadalits to consolidate control.His rebellion resulted in his expulsion from the JD(U) on February 9, 2015, precipitating a political crisis. These tensions culminated on February 22, 2015, when, ahead of a trust vote, Manjhi resigned, paving the way for Nitish Kumar to return with support from the Mahagathbandhan – an alliance of the RJD and Congress.Story continues below this adWith assembly polls looming, the BJP began to court Manjhi and his Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAMS) – a party he founded on May 8 that year. Realignments followed swiftly: the NDA and HAMS on one side, and the Mahagathbandhan on the other.In the November election that year, HAMS contested 21 of Bihar’s 243 seats. Manjhi stood from both Imamganj and Makhdumpur but won only the former. He was the sole HAMS victor, though the party finished second in several constituencies. Their ally, the BJP, secured only 53 seats.The Mahagathbandhan triumphed: the RJD won 80 seats and the JD(U) 71. Nitish returned as chief minister, backed by Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD. Lalu’s sons joined the cabinet – Tejashwi as deputy chief minister and Tej Pratap as minister.The loss didn’t push Manjhi into obscurity. In July 2017, Nitish abruptly ended the Mahagathbandhan, realigned with the BJP, and formed a new NDA government. HAMS, now part of the alliance, contested seven seats in the 2020 polls and won four. Manjhi himself wasn’t inducted into the Cabinet, but his bloc’s support bolstered Nitish’s majority.Story continues below this adThat support paid off: Manjhi’s son Santosh Kumar Suman was sworn in as minister and remains in Nitish’s outgoing government.The 2024 Lok Sabha elections marked Manjhi’s national breakthrough. Contesting from Gaya on a HAMS ticket under the NDA banner, he won comfortably. Prime Minister Modi appointed him Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises – the oldest member of the council and the only minister in the current Union government born before Independence.Manjhi’s brief tenure as chief minister yielded lasting dividends. He carved out a distinct Mahadalit constituency, founded a viable regional party, and secured legislative berths for family members.After vacating Imamganj following his Lok Sabha victory, Manjhi ensured his daughter-in-law Deepa Manjhi won the seat in a bypoll; she is contesting again in 2025. Deepa’s mother is also a HAMS candidate.Story continues below this adFrom a stopgap leader to a Union minister, Jitan Ram Manjhi exemplifies Bihar’s fluid, personality-driven politics. His journey underscores how caste arithmetic, strategic defections, and sheer tenacity can transform a political footnote into a key player.