Mountain Man's Son Bhagirath Manjhi Denied Congress Ticket Despite Rahul Gandhi's Alleged Promise for Bihar Polls

Bhagirath Manjhi, son of the legendary 'Mountain Man' Dashrath Manjhi, has voiced his disappointment after being denied a Congress party ticket for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, despite what he claims were previous assurances.

In addition to not receiving the ticket, Manjhi mentioned that he was unable to meet Rahul Gandhi during his visit to Delhi.

Speaking with ANI, Bhagirath revealed that he had traveled to Delhi and remained there for four days hoping to secure an election ticket.

"I spent 4 days in Delhi but didn't receive the ticket... I had submitted all necessary documents. I had requested Rahul Gandhi for the ticket, and he had indicated he would provide it... I was optimistic about receiving the ticket... Others were granted tickets, but we were overlooked. I stayed in Delhi for 4 days but couldn't meet Rahul Gandhi," he stated.

His father, Dashrath Manjhi, achieved nationwide recognition for his remarkable achievement. Hailing from Gehlaur village near Gaya, according to Bihar government records, Manjhi single-handedly carved a 110-metre-long, 9.1-metre-wide, and 7.7-metre-deep path through a hill using only basic tools - a hammer and chisel. This monumental project took 22 years to complete and significantly reduced the distance between Atri and Wazirganj blocks in Gaya district from 55 km to just 15 km.

Dashrath Manjhi passed away on August 17, 2007, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. The Bihar government honored him with a state funeral and nominated him for the Padma Shri award in 2006 under the social service category. In 2016, India Post released a commemorative stamp celebrating his legacy as part of the 'Personalities of Bihar' series.

Rahul Gandhi previously paid tribute to Dashrath Manjhi on his death anniversary, emphasizing that Manjhi's determination and passion for achieving his goals continues to inspire many.

The Mahagathbandhan alliance, which includes Congress, RJD, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML), and Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP), appears to be experiencing internal coordination challenges.

While Congress and the RJD have announced their respective candidates, the alliance has yet to formally declare a seat-sharing formula.

In contrast, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has finalized its seat distribution, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] each contesting 101 seats. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will contest 29 seats, while both the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) will contest six seats each.

The Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled to take place in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with vote counting set for November 14.