Patna: Jitan Ram Manjhi, a 68-year-old Mahadalit leader, was yesterday named by outgoing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as his successor.
Kumar was authorised by the Janata Dal-United legislature party to elect a new leader after he refused to withdraw his resignation which he tendered following his party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha polls. “Manjhi will stake claim to form the government,” Kumar said after he along with Manjhi and other party leaders met Governor D Y Patil here.
Party leaders said Kumar chose the soft-spoken Manjhi as he is a non-controversial leader with a clean image. Manjhi — from the Mushahar community — was SC/ST welfare minister in the Kumar Cabinet. He is legislator from the Makhdoompur assembly constituency.
He also contested the Lok Sabha poll from Gaya constituency but lost. Manjhi, a native of Mahkar village in Gaya district, will be the third Dalit to become chief minister after Bhola Paswan Shastri and Ram Sundar Das. IANS
