Manjhi meets Bihar Governor, Rajnath in Delhi

New Delhi: Ahead of the trust vote in Bihar Assembly on February 20, Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Sunday met state Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the national capital.

Sources close to Manjhi said that his meeting with the Governor was a courtesy call as both happened to be in the national capital, while his meeting with Singh at his residence was with regard to the Naxal problem in Bihar.

The incumbent Bihar chief minister had recently sought the expansion of his cabinet before the trust vote and sources said that he took up the issue in his meeting with Tripathi but was offered no concrete assurance.

The Manjhi faction of JD(U) and BJP are involved in back-channel talks for the saffron party's support to his government in the trust vote. However, BJP has said that it will take a final stand only on the floor of the House.

BJP with 87 members in the Assembly, whose effective strength at present is 233, is the main hope for Manjhi for his survival if he musters the support of 30 other MLAs. The magic figure is 117.