Who Is Gyan Chand Manjhi, BJP’s Dalit Leader From Garkha Who Fought To Reclaim Ground

Gyan Chand Manjhi who won twice as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Bihar and who is a long-known face of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Saran district, Bihar. Having won the position of MLA of Garkha (SC) assembly constituency, Manjhi was a product of grassroots politics through which he became one of only a few Dalit leaders in the region to win a seat in the state assembly two times in a row. Although in recent years he has had some electoral losses, his role in the local governance, education and party organization cannot be neglected.

Political Career: A Ten Year of Representation

The political career of Manjhi began in 2005 when he scored his maiden legislative assembly seat in Garkha when the politics of Bihar had taken a new dimension. He was re-elected in 2010 and he is a two-time MLA representing the BJP party. His wins were at the point when BJP was striving to enhance its voter against the old upper caste voters.

Being an SC-reserved constituency, Garkha was a test case of BJP making an inroad with marginalized population and Manjhi was instrumental in forging a connection with these people. His arrival created visibility of the BJP in places in which it had no real history.

Losses with the Changing Politics

It was a turning point in the 2015 Bihar Assembly election. Gyan Chand Manjhi in Riveria failed to defeat the RJD and this was also an indicator of swing in Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) elsewhere in the state. Beaten by close to 40,000 votes, his loss was an indication of the overall dissatisfaction toward the NDA of then and that of the inclusion of upwardly mobile Lalu Yadav and his RJD amongst the backward and Dalit voters.

Manjhi lost to Surendra Ram (RJD) in a closer fight in 2020 in his bid to get back the Garkha seat he had won in the 2014 poll. Although he had increased his vote share, he missed by 9,937 votes which meant that though he still retained some hold on power, the seat had moved decisively in the favour of the RJD.

Education and Rural Development.

In his tenure as the MLA, Manjhi was an advocate of education and development of infrastructure. He would often address school gatherings in the area and stressed how literacy was of importance as only then the country could improve and he would say how the country can move forward as long as its children learn. His effort in enhancing school facilities and roads network gave him a positive personality amongst sections of his constituency.

He remained active even in education institutes and rural discussion after being in office where he would visit different forums to motivate people to join the community and students to have an aim in life.

Work in Parties and in Organization

Gyan Chand Manjhi turned his attention to the consolidation of the grass roots structure of the BJP after his government lost three successive elections. He also launched a membership drive in the villages of Garkha in the month of September 2024, an event known as the Sangathan Parv. He wanted to renew the local cadre of the BJP and reach out to all castes and communities to create a base to target in elections in the future.

Although not holding a position of public authority, he still was an important element in the inner structure of BJP in the area, and he represents the ability of local leaders to survive and work in the background.

History and Future

The story of Gyan Chand Manjhi holds mirror to the depths of truths in the political electoral process of Bihar in India – it is a land where caste identity, party affiliations, ground connect holds a lot of merit. Being a Dalit face of the BJP, which is part of an explosive political environment, his initial triumphs had assisted the party to establish a niche in non traditional constituencies.

Manjhi is not defeated yet and even after consecutive defeats he is not quitting, he is active, patient, and engaged. His efforts on recaption of the BJP grassroots in Garkha might still come with fruits as Bihar politics still changes with the next assembly elections, which is imminent.

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