Patna, March 8: First a front and then a full-fledged political party, former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi seems to be treading on a well thought out plan to emerge as a political force in Bihar.

Manjhi today hinted that his party would contest in at least 125 of the 243 Assembly seats in the state. The formal announcement of the party would be made on April 20.

"If I find the support swelling, I might go it alone," Manjhi said, stressing that he was open to a "post-poll agreement" with the BJP.

Manjhi and his supporters, majority of whom are rebel MLAs and disgruntled elements of the ruling JDU, have convened a rally on April 20 under the banner of Hindustani Awam Morcha. Manjhi had launched this front on February 28, eight days after he resigned from the chief minister's post, during a meeting of his supporters.

Prior to the rally, Manjhi would be organising a series of programmes across the state to mobilise people in his support. The beginning would be made on Monday. He would sit on a fast (10am to 4pm) on March 9 to register his protest against the decision of the Nitish Kumar-led government to annul all the decisions his (Manjhi's) cabinet had taken in its last three meetings.

A total of 34 decisions were taken in those cabinet meetings.

Followed by the fast, Manjhi is scheduled to address rallies in divisional headquarters in Bihar. He would also be addressing JNU students in New Delhi on March 13.

"My opponents are trying to project an image that I took these decisions in haste. I would like to make it clear that these were well thought out decisions aimed at ameliorating the condition of poor and addressed the concern of those who didn't get justice during the Nitish rule. My supporters and I would fast on March 9 in a bid to highlight the issue and Nitish's move to scuttle these decisions," Manjhi said.

Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi issued somewhat similar statement minutes after Manjhi tore into Nitish's cabinet decision to annul the decisions taken by Manjhi's.

"Nitish has exhibited political vendetta and personal aversion by annulling the decisions of the Manjhi cabinet. He didn't have the moral right to do this before winning the trust vote," Modi said.

Nitish is scheduled to go for the floor test of his government on March 11.

Manjhi and Modi speaking in similar vein do not appear to be a coincidence given the fact that Manjhi has started hinting about a post-poll alliance with the BJP.

"Our party would be contesting a minimum of 125 Assembly seats, selection of which would be made based on our ability to win," Manjhi said.

"We would not enter into any pre-poll alliance with any party but if the situation so arises we may go for post-poll alliance and we are open to the idea of having such alliance with the BJP as well," he added.

Manjhi's softness towards the BJP became clearer while replying to a query about his stand on the PDP-BJP government's decision in Jammu and Kashmir to release a few separatists from jail.

"The BJP has not made its stand clear on this issue and I think that any such decision should be taken on the basis of the law of the land," said the former chief minister.

Led by PDP's Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday had ordered release of separatist leader Masrat Alam Bhat and the BJP has since then avoided to speak on the issue publicly.

Manjhi adopted somewhat similar vagueness on the issue of land acquisition act on which the BJP is locked in a fierce battle with opposition parties.

Without uttering a word against the act, Manjhi said: "Farmers' interests should be protected at any cost."