News Analysis: Ahead of polls, all eyes in Bihar on Chirag Paswan's next political move
Poll-bound Bihar is witnessing fast-paced developments with Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP from Jamui, Arun Bharti, brother-in-law of party chief Chirag Paswan, saying that supporters want Mr. Paswan to contest the upcoming Assembly election in Bihar, and that too not from any reserved seat but from a general seat. He said this would send a message that he was a leader able to bridge caste lines.
Mr. Paswan, who is currently the MP from Hajipur (reserved) seat and the Union Food Processing Industries Minister, himself said in Chhattisgarh that he 'doesn't see himself in national politics for long and the only reason he came into politics was Bihar and Biharis'.
Mr. Paswan, who had represented Jamui, a reserved seat, twice in 2014 and 2019, is likely to call a meeting of the LJP(RV) Executive Committee soon to formalise a proposal urging him to contest the upcoming Assembly election. Posters urging him to contest elections from Sheikhpura and Ara seats, and claiming that only he could stop migration from Bihar, are being put up.
However, the buzz around junior Paswan centres around two questions. The first is whether he is gearing up to play a bigger role in State politics at the behest of senior National Democratic Alliance partner BJP. The second is whether he has become overambitious in exploring opportunities to be the next Bihar Chief Minister amid concerns over incumbent Nitish Kumar's health and a perceived vacuum on the top after the election. The third is whether the BJP would use Mr. Paswan again to dent the plans of both the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal and ally Janata Dal (United), as he had done in the 2020 Assembly election.
In 2020, the undivided LJP put up candidates at 130 Assembly seats out of the total 243, especially seats contested by the JD(U) and was instrumental in the latter's tally in the Assembly falling to just 43. The JD(U) finished third behind the BJP and RJD in the election and it emerged that the LJP had hurt the JD(U)'s winning chances in at least two dozes seats. Mr. Paswan comes from the Dalit Paswan community which accounts for 5.311% of the State's population, as per the 2022 caste survey. Currently, Mr. Paswan-led LJP (RV) has five MPs but no representation in the State Assembly.
After the 2020 election, Mr. Kumar and Mr. Paswan had an uneasy relationship as Mr. Kumar and his party leaders accused Mr. Paswan of fielding party candidates to 'deliberately' defeat the JD(U). However, there was soon a twist, with LJP spliting into two parties - the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) led by Mr. Paswan's uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras and the LJP(RV) of Mr. Paswan. Mr. Paras, was sidelined in the NDA and walked out of the block while Mr. Paswan was appointed an Union Minister. Recently, he met Mr. Kumar at his residence and after the meeting, asserted that the 'NDA would contest the upcoming Assembly election under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and he will be our leader in the State'.
'Chirag Paswan can contest the Assembly election as every party leader is free to take his own decision but it is very clear that from 2025-30, there will be Nitish Kumar once again,' party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said on Monday, responding to the recent developments.
However, the Opposition RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said, 'The BJP has trapped Mr. Paswan once again to hurt Mr. Kumar in the election… it is now very clear that the BJP doesn't want Mr. Kumar to continue as CM after the Assembly poll and the tussle in the NDA has begun,' he said.
But, is Mr. Paswan overambitious in looking for an opportunity to fill the Chief Minister post? 'May be, but it will be interesting to see whether the BJP would want to offer that seat to Mr. Paswan after election,' said political analyst Nawal Kishore Choudhary. He further asked, 'Why should the BJP promote Mr. Paswan when he too can become another Nitish Kumar?'. On the posters urging Mr. Paswan to contest the State election, he said: 'Don't go by these posters as they could be misleading. He or, the BJP must have chosen a seat for him which will be revealed at a proper time', Mr. Choudhary added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
44 minutes ago
- India.com
Maharashtra Politics: Are Decks Clear For NCP-NCPSP Merger? Chatter Grows About NDA Crossing 300-Mark
Is Maharashtra's political landscape set to witness another twist? There are indications but no concrete answers as of now but the talks of Ajit Pawar-led NCP's merger with Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SP has once against ignited political debates. Ajit Pawar recently shared dias with Sharad Pawar in Pune and those aware of the matter said that the two leaders held separate talks about the reunion. Meanwhile, NCP-SP leader Rohit Pawar also dropped a big hint about the possible reunification of the two warring factions. Speaking to reporters, Rohit Pawar said that senior Pawar has entrusted Supriya Sule with the task and she will take the final call after discussing it with party leaders. He said that while Sharad Pawar has been hinting at a possible alliance with Ajit Pawar, there may be some twist with respect to the BJP. Rohit Pawar said that Sharad Pawar is known for making decisions which are mostly unexpected and totally out of the blue. "What unfolds in the coming days will depend on him, but he will always take a decision in favour of the people," Rohit said. While NCP leaders like Rohit and Anil Deshmukh have maintained that no official talks have been held so far between the two parties, the clamour around the merger has already forced leaders to vie for key party posts. Notably, if the merger happens, Praful Patel and Supriya Sule will be among the top contenders for the Modi cabinet. The chatters have also grown on social media with people claiming that the NCP-NCPSP merger could take place in June itself and thus, the BJP-led NDA's number in the Lok Sabha may go beyond the 300 mark. Notably, the NDA has 293 seats in the Lok Sabha and if the NCPSP joins the alliance, then its tally will go to 301 with the eight seats of Shara Pawar's party. NCP-SP's merger or joining of the NDA will deal a big jolt to the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra where the Congress and Shiv Sena-UBT are largely dependent on the NCP-SP in regions like Western Maharashtra and Marathawada.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Delimitation delay ploy to reduce Tamil Nadu's voice in Parliament: CM Stalin
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday (June 4, 2025) said that while the Constitution mandates delimitation based on the first Census conducted after 2026, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union Government had now postponed the Census to 2027, signalling an alleged attempt to curtail Tamil Nadu's Parliamentary representation. 'I had warned about this. It is now unfolding. By siding with the BJP, Palaniswami (AIADMK general secretary) is not just silent but complicit in this betrayal. It's now clear that he has surrendered to Delhi's domination,' Mr. Stalin said in a post on social media platform X. Editorial | Cast of characters: On the caste census Reiterating Tamil Nadu's position, the Chief Minister added, 'The people of Tamil Nadu are united as one in their demand for a Fair Delimitation. We need clear answers from the Union Government.'
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
On pollution, new ideas and old battles
Just ahead of World Environment Day, Delhi's new government threw down the gauntlet against toxic air with its most ambitious plan yet — a 25-point road map promising electric buses, cloud seeding, AI-driven monitoring, and a crackdown on construction dust and vehicular emissions. CM Rekha Gupta called the Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025 the 'most scientific and actionable' strategy to combat the Capital's toxic air, targeting everything from vehicular smoke to smouldering landfills. The plan is heavy on innovation: It mentions pilot projects on cloud seeding, GPS-tracked smog guns, AI-linked air monitors, and a start-up challenge for pollution control. To be sure, some of these remain scientifically unproven or logistically complex. Cloud seeding, for instance, is still in experimental stages, and smog guns, though dramatic, have shown limited effectiveness in large-scale mitigation of pollution. But the real test lies not in ambition, but execution. Poor implementation has hobbled every pollution plan before this one. Mandating construction sites to curb dust or ordering households to segregate waste are not new ideas. Unless residents, bureaucrats, and civic agencies move in step, these will remain paper laws. Take firecrackers. Outlawed year after year, they are still freely available, not just during Diwali, but also the extended wedding season. Many of these action points were also part of previous plans but were stymied by bureaucratic hurdles, often motivated by political bickering between city and central authorities. This time, the government may have fewer excuses, given that the BJP, which runs the Union government, now controls not only the Delhi government, but also the MCD. For good measure, it is also in power in each of the National Capital Region (NCR) states. That's good because the bigger challenge lies across Delhi's borders. When Punjab (not part of the NCR, and also not a state where the BJP is in power) and Haryana's fields go up in smoke after their harvests, so do Delhi's pollution efforts. The Supreme Court has shown the way — what's needed now is not more vision, but coordination. The BJP has a rare chance — never has the same party been in power in all NCR states. Ultimately, this plan demands more than just policy — it needs a cultural shift. Delhi's future hinges on citizens viewing clean air as a shared responsibility and not the exclusive responsibility of the government. If this administration can marry public cooperation with states' resolve — on reviving the Yamuna, protecting the Aravallis, and executing the pollution plan — it could script an environmental turnaround for the ages.
