The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has announced that the party will not contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar, accusing INDIA bloc allies Congress and RJD of failing to uphold coalition “dharma”.
JMM leader Sudeep Kumar Sonu made the announcement at a press conference in Jharkhand’s Giridih. This comes just two days after JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said on Saturday that the party would contest six seats in Bihar, breaking away from the Mahagathbandhan — the alliance in Bihar that includes the Congress and the RJD.
On Monday, Sonu said the nomination window for the second phase of Bihar polling closed at 3 pm. “With deep regret, JMM is compelled to say that we are not participating in the Bihar Assembly elections this time,” he said.
“Where an important ally of the INDIA bloc has been prevented from contesting, there must be reasons — but we hold the RJD leadership fully responsible for this situation,” Sonu said, adding that the Congress, too, shares responsibilty for failing to ensure the JMM’s inclusion in seat-sharing discussions.
Sonu recalled that the JMM had supported the RJD in 2015 and had accommodated the Congress, RJD and Left parties in Jharkhand in 2024. He said the JMM had been promised three seats in 2020, but those assurances were changed at the last minute, an experience that he said has repeated in 2025.
Recounting a meeting in Patna with RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav on October 7, Sonu alleged that he and fellow JMM leader Vinod Pandey were assured that they would be given seats.
“We told Tejashwi Yadav about 28 seats in Bihar where tribal voters are significant. Of those, 22 seats were lost by narrow margins. JMM had the potential to swing ST votes towards the INDIA alliance and aid conversion of seats,” Sonu said. He explained that the JMM would not participate in active campaigning in Bihar and would not be involved in political programmes there.
Impact on Jharkhand
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Sonu warned that the betrayal would have political consequences in Jharkhand. “The Jharkhandi consciousness does not forget humiliation. We will respond and make clear that the JMM is a strong voice of India’s tribal communities,” he said, adding that the party would review its relationship with the INDIA/Mahagathbandhan partners “based on their actions” and will take decisions that align with the JMM’s political interests and Jharkhand’s welfare.
Sonu accused both the RJD and Congress of failing to uphold coalition “dharma”, and claimed that while the JMM had been accommodating, shifting their seats in past elections to help out their partners, what is happening in Bihar “feels more like disrespect and some serious political ill treatment”.
“Our complaint with the Congress is that it did not make a sincere effort to protect the political participation of a strong alliance partner. If the Congress stayed silent, that itself is an insult,” he said.
