PATNA: Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Tuesday resigned as the member of Bihar legislative assembly, his close aide Danish Rizwan told PTI.

Manjhi met the legislative assembly acting secretary Hare Ram Mukhiya handed over his resignation letter.

Mukhiya said that Jiten Manjhi met him in his office and submitted a letter quitting his membership of the legislative assembly with immediate effect.

The notification with regard to Manjhi’s resignation from the legislative assembly will be issued in due course of time, the legislative assembly acting secretary said.

A sixth-term MLA, and Bihar’s first ever Chief Minister from the Musahar caste, the 70-year-old represented Makhdumpur (SC) seat in Jehanabad district on a JD(U) ticket.

The former chief minister quit office on February 20 exactly nine months after taking oath to the chief minister’s post on May 20 last year and subsequently formed another political party – Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), Secular – along with other disgruntled leaders of the JD(U).

Manjhi has since joined the the BJP-led NDA.

The former chief minister was expelled from the party in the wake of his refusal to quit the chief minister’s post initially and was promptly declared as an unattached member of the house by Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary.

He did not attend any state legislative assembly sittings during budget and monsoon sessions this year apparently to stave off embarrassment as he was required to sit on the treasury benches and comply with whip of the ruling party.

Explaining Manjhi’s resignation as MLA, Rizwan, the spokesperson of HAM (Secular), said that the former chief minister was required to sever all association with his former party to pave way for being elected as HAM president.

  Bihar, Dalit, elections