Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, received Union Minister and former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi at Loksevak Awas, the official government accommodation in Patna, marking a high-level meeting between two key figures in the state's ruling NDA alliance.

Context

Choudhary posted on X, writing: 'Mananiya Kendreey Mantri evam Bihar ke poorv Mukhyamantri Shri Jitan Ram Manjhi ji ne Loksevak Awas mein mulaqat ki' — ('Honourable Union Minister and former Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Jitan Ram Manjhi, paid a visit at Loksevak Awas'). The post was accompanied by an image from the meeting, underscoring its official character.

Jitan Ram Manjhi leads the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), a constituent partner of the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar. His party's support is integral to the coalition's majority in the state assembly.

Policy Backdrop

Manjhi briefly served as Bihar Chief Minister from 2014 to 2015 after Nitish Kumar stepped down following the JD(U)'s poor performance in the general elections. He later parted ways with Kumar and aligned his party with the BJP-led NDA, a partnership that has held through successive electoral cycles.

Bihar's governance since 2005 has been built on NDA coalition arrangements that bring together BJP and smaller caste-based regional parties. Regular consultations between the sitting Chief Minister and NDA allies who hold central cabinet positions are a routine feature of this model, used to align state priorities with central government programmes.

Stakeholders and Impact

Loksevak Awas in Patna serves as a formal venue for such inter-party and government-to-government consultations. Meetings of this kind typically involve discussions on the implementation of centrally-sponsored schemes, coordination on state cabinet decisions, and broader alliance management ahead of political cycles.

For Manjhi's HAM(S), maintaining direct access to the Chief Minister signals the party's continued relevance within the coalition. For the Choudhary-led state government, engagement with NDA partners who hold Union cabinet portfolios can facilitate smoother coordination on development funding and policy execution at the ground level in Bihar.

What's Next

While the specific agenda of the meeting was not disclosed in the post, similar high-level consultations in Bihar have historically preceded announcements on state cabinet coordination, infrastructure projects, or social welfare scheme rollouts. Observers of Bihar politics will watch for any follow-up statements from either leader's office on outcomes of the discussion.

The meeting reinforces the active working relationship between Chief Minister Choudhary and the broader NDA coalition structure in Bihar, a relationship that will remain central to the state government's functioning in the months ahead.