With its announcement of contesting independently on six seats in upcoming Bihar polls, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Friday formally broke away from the Mahagathbandhan. The party also issued a stern warning that it would “review its alliance in Jharkhand” after the Bihar polls and ensure that “no government in Bihar is formed without JMM’s support”.

During a press conference in Ranchi on Saturday, JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said that the number of seats could go up to 10.

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Bhattacharya accused the RJD, the JMM’s ally in Jharkhand, of repeatedly betraying the party’s trust, particularly over seat-sharing arrangements. “The party can tolerate anything, but it will not compromise on its self-respect. In the 2019 election, we gave the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) seven seats in Jharkhand, out of which only one candidate won, and we made him a minister for five years. In the 2024 Jharkhand Assembly election too, we gave the RJD six seats, and again, one of their MLAs was made a minister as a mark of respect. We have always shown respect, but in return, we have always been betrayed,” he said.

According to an Indian Express report, the JMM had sought seven seats in the Bihar Assembly polls this year but talks collapsed after the RJD refused to concede.

JMM’s prep for Bihar elections

Bhattacharya further announced that the JMM has finalised a list of 20 star campaigners for the Bihar election, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The list, submitted to the Election Commission, includes Kalpana Soren, Vijay Hansda, Mithilesh Thakur, Vinod Pandey, Basant Soren, Supriyo Bhattacharya, Baidyanath Ram, Hemlal Murmu, Sudivya Sonu and Abhishek Prasad Pinto, among others, IE reported.

Polling for the Bihar Assembly elections 2025 is scheduled to be held in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with results expected on November 14.