Chirag backs Nitish as CM; posters urge him to contest from Sheikhpura
Patna: Amid the political debate over LJP(RV) chief and Union minister Chirag Paswan's possibility of contesting the state assembly election this year, posters have been put up in Patna on Monday, inviting him to try his luck from Sheikhpura.
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While RJD said the race for the CM post in the NDA was to heat up in the coming days before the assembly polls, BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal on Monday said the NDA alliance partners are free to field any of their leaders from the seats to be allocated to the party concerned.
However, Chirag made it clear while talking to reporters in Raipur on Monday, "
will remain the chief ministerial face of Bihar in the elections and after the results."
Chirag reiterated that he would not be in Delhi politics for a very long time. "After becoming an MP for the third time, I am realising that it is not possible to realise my dream of 'Bihar First, Bihari First' by staying in Delhi. I told my party leaders that I want to go back to Bihar soon. Now, when I say if the party wants me to contest assembly polls, it means that the party is deciding what its effect will be," he said while elaborating his plan to expand his party beyond Bihar and strengthen it in Chhattisgarh as well.
"I will keep coming to Chhattisgarh to strengthen the organisation here… Gradually the party is in expansion mode," he said and added, "We have two MLAs in Nagaland, we have MLAs in Jharkhand. In the coming days, we will work in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Chhattisgarh."
On Sunday, LJP(RV) MP and his brother-in-law Arun Bharti gave strong indications that Chirag may contest from an unreserved seat in the assembly polls due this year.
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The Monday posters had the caption like "Bihar hope is Chirag. Only you can stop migration. You will also provide jobs. You will also fix the health system. Now, you will change the future of Bihar".
Political analysts link Chirag's wish to enter Bihar politics to a scenario if JD(U) supremo and CM Nitish Kumar steps back in the future due to age. Chirag may fit the bill as a dalit face to counter RJD's young leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav. If any such scenario emerges after the election, the choice should not be limited to BJP and Tejashwi. The third factor in power play may be Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj. PK has welcomed Chirag to state politics and may back him in the CM race if electoral arithmetic needs his calculations, depending on how many seats his party wins.
In order to strengthen his party base, LJP(RV) has decided to organise 'Nav Sankalp Mahasabha' at Ara on June 10 to be attended by people from 33 assembly constituencies of seven districts in Shahabad and Magadh regions.
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Indian Express
30 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Tejashwi Yadav leading Bihar alliance coordination panel … not our mandate to announce anyone as CM face': Congress state in-charge
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We will try for a much better social balance than in past teams. * There has been criticism that choosing Rajesh Kumar, a Dalit leader, as the state Congress chief is just symbolism… No. Rajesh Kumar has been associated with the party for a long time and has contributed immensely to the organisation. Along with Congress Legislature Party leader Shakil Ahmad Khan, he is our Bihar face. Rahul Gandhi has been focusing on representation from as many social segments as possible. We have also redone our district committees, giving good representation to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), minorities, and Dalits. * What is the Congress's strategy to convince voters? We have been talking about migration, unemployment, poor quality education, and greater participation of women in politics, government and non-government sectors. Rahul Gandhi has been addressing 'Samvidhan Bachao (Save the Constitution)' meetings. He also met EBC, OBC, and Dalit students in Darbhanga. The Bihar government has been so terrified by our plans to reach out to students that they tried their best to stop Rahul Gandhi from meeting the students. Haven't BJP and JD(U) leaders organised functions in schools and colleges? But they foisted a false case on our leader for holding a meeting without permission. * What do you make of the Centre announcing a caste enumeration in the next population Census? They have done so under our pressure. The demand for a nationwide caste census has been our agenda. We still think that the NDA is not serious about it. Their conscience is not clear. Had it been so, it would have devised policies as per the findings of the Bihar caste-based survey. But we will keep talking about it in a phased manner through meetings and yatras. Rahul Gandhi is in Nalanda on June 6 to further pitch for social and political justice. * How are the Congress's ties with the RJD? Is Tejashwi Yadav the leader or the chief ministerial face of Mahagathbandhan? Our INDIA bloc allies have their distinct strengths. We have to complement and supplement one another. The coordination committee is the supreme body for discussing all issues, from joint rallies to seat sharing. There have been coordination committee meetings at the district level, too. As for Tejashwi, he is the leader of the coordination committee. It is not the Congress's mandate to announce anyone as the CM face. It is the collective job of all allies to announce their leader at the right time. * Is the 'jungle raj' tag for the RJD holding the Congress back from declaring Tejashwi as the Mahagathbandhan's leader? The real 'jungle raj' is being witnessed under the current NDA regime. One can see the rising graph of crime in recent times. There has been too much interference from the bureaucracy in governance. * Is there any concern that you may end up contesting fewer seats as part of the alliance since it won just 19 of the 70 seats it contested in 2020? We cannot speculate on seat sharing. We aim for a strong Congress that will make the INDIA bloc stronger. Our campaign is not region-specific; our focus is on quality seats. Seat sharing will be completed well ahead of the polls. * What is the Congress's view on National Students' Union of India (NSUI) in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar's role? Can one see Tejashwi and Kanhaiya sharing the dais during campaign events? Kanhaiya is a very good orator. People come to listen to him. He connects well with people. We hope Tejashwi and Kanhaiya share the dais. This is more a matter of perception than reality. We have a vast line-up of leaders who will campaign in Bihar. Besides national party president Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Sachin Pilot, and other senior leaders will campaign. * Will the NDA's nationalism pitch following Operation Sindoor make things tough for the Opposition in the elections? Ours is a win-win alliance. On the contrary, we see the NDA constituents wavering. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has switched sides so many times that we will not be surprised if he does it again. LJP (RV) leader Chirag Paswan looks non-committal towards the NDA with his recent statements (on wanting to contest the Assembly polls). Rashtriya Lok Morcha leader Upendra Kushwaha is also wavering. As for the nationalistic pitch around Operation Sindoor, US President Donald Trump exposed the myth of Narendra Modi's nationalism with his social media post on brokering the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. * How big a factor will Nitish Kumar be? Nitish Kumar is a nice person. But he is no longer running his party or the government. A handful of people have taken control over him. He has not been able to provide employment. Nor could he bring big industries to Bihar as was done during the Congress's rule. Whatever little employment the Bihar government could give, it was during the Mahagathbandhan government. * Will Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor be a factor in the Assembly polls? He is trying hard to be a factor. But he is struggling.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Jan Suraaj Party pitches Prashant Kishor as Bihar's ‘most popular' CM pick - a look at its poll strategy
'Declare Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister candidate if he is the face of the NDA,' challenged Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor on May 30, as he toured the state in his 'Bihar Badlav Yatra'. Mr. Kishor, a political strategist, who was instrumental in strategising several political campaigns, including those of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, is setting himself up as a third alternative in Bihar beside the Mahagathbandhan (RJD-Congress-Left) and the National Democratic Alliance (BJP-JDU-LJP). Speaking to The Hindu, on Thursday (June 5, 2025), JSP working President Mr. Manoj Bharti pitched Mr. Kishor as a potential CM candidate. 'He is the most popular choice for CM in Bihar. The whole country and Bihar should forget about Nitish Kumar in the coming election. There is just no way that he can be in any position to drive anything in the next government. We are not going to form any coalition with anyone before or after polls. We will not join anyone just for the sake of forming a government,' says Mr. Bharti. Since October 2022, Mr. Kishor has been touring Bihar on foot, highlighting key issues like unemployment, migration, and inflation in the State, spanning 5000 kilometres across 17 districts. Two years later, he launched the 'Jan Suraaj Party' with a 'human first' approach, aiming to build a Bihar where 'people from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab come in search of work.' Within days, his new party's popularity among the masses was tested. While JSP failed to open its accounts in the November 2024 by-polls held for four seats – Ramgarh, Belaganj, Imamganj and Tarari— Mr. Kishor expressed satisfaction with polling 10% of the total votes in these seats. Here's a look at Jan Suraaj's origins, journey, objectives and poll strategy. Prashant Kishor's Bihar journey Prashant Kishor has been active in strategising poll campaigns since 2012. After successfully aiding Mr. Modi in his re-election as Gujarat CM in 2012 and later in 2014 as Prime Minister, Mr. Kishor first forayed into Bihar in 2015. Bringing rivals Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar together as the 'Mahagathbandhan,' Mr. Kishor was instrumental in limiting BJP to a mere 58 seats in the 243-member Assembly. Despite Mr. Kumar's shifting loyalties, he retained Mr. Kishor as his political advisor, even appointing him JD(U)'s vice-president and his potential 'successor.' However, Mr. Kishor's stint with JDU came to an end in 2020 after he vociferously opposed the party's support for the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Expelled from JDU in January that year, Mr. Kishor launched 'Baat Bihar Ki' — a campaign to attract people to help him find Bihar its 'rightful place among top 10 States of India in next 10-15 years.' In the following two years, Mr. Kishor hit the ground with his 'Baat Bihar Ki' campaign, undertaking a padyatra across the State. Targetting Mr. Kumar for the poverty in Bihar, he claimed that the NDA's 15-year regime had brought no development to the state. As a caste survey was done across Bihar, Mr. Kishor questioned why Mr. Kumar had not increased the reservation limit, disbursed financial aid to poor and homeless families, or handed over land rights to Dalit farmers. JSP has promised to decide on the implementation of these promises once it forms government. In October 2024, Mr. Kishor announced the launch of JSP based on five principles, including a one-year tenure for its party president and two years for its council members, and selection of poll candidates in a process similar to the primaries held by parties in the United Statess. JSP has promised to announce initial nominees in March and the final candidate for every seat by November. The party has promised to advocate for the 'Right to Recall' system for public representatives and to display both Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on their official flag. JSP's entry was opposed by RJD, which accused Mr. Kishor of acting as a 'B-Team of BJP.' Seeking to frame Mr. Kishor's entry as a ploy to pit the OBCs and the upper castes against each other, RJD MP Misa Bharti said, 'Who is Prashant Kishor Pandey? Pandeys have this business of abusing Yadavs.' In response, Mr. Kishor chose Madhubani-born Manoj Bharti, a former diplomat and a Dalit, as the party's first working president, promising to build a developed Bihar. JSP's electoral performance In November 2024, JSP faced its first electoral test as it fielded candidates for the by-elections in Tarari, Ramgarh, Belaganj and Imamganj, as their MLAs were recently elected to Lok Sabha. In Tarari, JSP fielded Kiran Singh against BJP's Vishal Prashant — son of baahubali (strongman) Narendra Kumar Pandey — and CPI-ML's Raju Yadav. BJP managed to wrest the seat from CPI-ML, while JSP finished a distant third with 5622 votes. In Ramgarh, JSP fielded Sushil Singh Kushwaha against BJP's Ashok Kumar Singh and RJD's Ajit Kumar Singh in a bid to woo the Kushwaha community and capitalise on the division of votes. However, BJP managed to wrest this seat too from RJD as JSP finished fourth with 6513 votes. In Belaganj, which has a sizable Muslim and Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) population, JSP fielded Mohd. Amjad against two heavyweights — Vishwanath Kumar Singh of RJD and Manorama Devi of JDU. Mr. Kishor's gamble failed as JDU's Manorama Devi, wife of baahubali Bindi Yadav, trumped Mr. Amjad by a margin of 56,049 votes. In Imamganj, JSP fielded Jitendra Paswan, a well-known pediatrician from the area, against Deepa Santhosh Manhi of NDA ally Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), who is the daughter-in-law of party chief Jitan Ram Manjhi. Mr. Paswan failed to dent Ms. Manjhi's vote share as he polled 37,103 votes. In the wake of the poll drubbing, former MPs Devendra Prasad Yadav and Monazir Hassan quit the party. However, Mr. Kishor remained undeterred, making a slew of promises to be fulfilled if voted to power – lifting prohibition and spending the liquor tax revenue on education, offering low-interest loans to working class with better disbursal, and providing a monthly pension of ₹2000 for senior citizens. JSP has also promised land reforms and easy loans to women with the State government providing the required guarantee. JSP also received a boost after Nitish Kumar's estranged aide R.C.P Singh merged his outfit Aap Sabki Awaz party with it on May 18, 2025. Mr. Singh, a former IAS officer known for his booth-level organisational skills in the JDU, fell out with Mr. Kumar and was removed from the Union Cabinet in October 2024. He has since then been a harsh critic of Mr. Kumar, calling Bihar's bifurcation and the prohibition a mistake. 'According to some estimates, almost ₹20,000 crore of tax revenue from liquor is not being utilized. Prohibition is only on paper. Liquor is not available in shops but is available for home delivery. Anyone who wants to consume it can get it at a premium price. A huge section of officers are earning ill-gotten money through corruption and in the name of stopping liquor sale, half of the police force is trying to control it and trying to have a piece of the cake,' explains Mr. Bharti. Factors affecting JSP's strategy and its prospects The passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, during this year's Parliamentary Budget Session gave rise to questions about the potential impact on the polls in Bihar, where Muslims make up around 18% of the population. According to a Lokniti-CSDS survey, the Mahagathbandhan has cornered the Muslim votes in the past three decades. In 2005, the Mahagathbandhan cornered 40% of the Muslim vote, while NDA polled only 4% of the community's votes. In subsequent elections (2010, 2015 and 2020), Nitish Kumar's shifting loyalties have swayed the Muslim vote towards either coalition. With the NDA, JDU helped the coalition by polling 21% support from Muslims, while RJD polled 32% of the Muslim votes, and Congress, which did not ally with the RJD, got 22% votes. In 2015, JDU allied with RJD and cornered the support of 69% of Muslims, while NDA got only 6% of the community's vote share. Five years later, 76% of Muslims voted for the RJD-Congress combine while only 5% of Muslims supported the NDA. The Lokniti-CSDS survey concluded that the JD(U)-BJP alliance has never been a primary choice for Muslim voters, making a significant electoral shift unlikely in 2025. 'There is little reason for the NDA to worry in Bihar,' mused Lokniti-CSDS analysts in a column in The Hindu, dismissing JSP's impact in these polls. However, Mr. Bharti disagrees. 'We have a selection process which entails feedback from the ground from the village level, from the block level, from the division level before evaluating candidates. Per seat, atleast 5-10 potential candidates have been nominated of which one will be chosen,' he says. The party is following the same pattern to identify candidates as that used by political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) —an organisation founded by Mr. Kishor. Instead of castes, JSP has divided Bihari society into five broad classes – forward, backward, extremely poor, Muslims and Dalits. 'Based on their percentage in the population, as per the caste census that was done in Bihar, we will distribute tickets for all 243 seats. For example, Muslims constitute 18-19%, so they will be given 40 seats,' says Mr. Bharti. When asked if a Muslim candidate will be chosen in a Muslim-majority constituency, he says, 'Yes, that will be the main criteria.' Mr. Kishor has hinted at his own poll debut from Raghopur. The seat has been held by Lalu Yadav's chosen heir, Tejashwi Yadav, since 2015. Not ruling out a potential clash between Mr. Kishor and the RJD scion, Mr. Bharti says, 'Mr. Kishor has said that he has no problem fighting from any seat the party decides, including Raghopur. He is not afraid of fighting anyone from anywhere.' Raghopur, which falls under the district of Vaishali, has a sizable population of Rajputs in the Yadav-dominated region, opening avenues for the JSP to split the upper caste vote in the seat.
India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
"Historic steps taken to make youth self-reliant and capable": Uttarakhand CM Dhami applauds PM Modi on 11 years of NDA
New Delhi [India], June 6 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the completion of 11 years of the NDA government and stated that steps had been taken to make the youth self-reliant and capable. In a post on social media X, the CM wrote that several youth employment schemes had helped people become job creators and brought the country to the global stage under the leadership of the PM. 'In the last 11 years, under the leadership of the respected Prime Minister Shri@narendramodiji, historic steps have been taken to make the youth self-reliant and capable. Schemes like Startup India, Digital India, Skill India, National Education Policy and Make in India have not only provided employment opportunities to the youth but have also moved them forward in the direction of becoming job creators. Today, the youth of India is making its mark not only in the country but also on the global stage, so the credit for this goes to the visionary thinking of the Honourable Prime Minister,' Dhami wrote in a post. Further, he wrote that the Uttarakhand government had helped the youth become self-reliant by recruiting them under several schemes and government jobs. 'Following the footsteps of the Central Government, our government has done unprecedented work towards youth welfare. Record number of recruitments in government jobs and various schemes like Mukhyamantri Swarojgar Yojana, Mukhyamantri Medhavi Chhatra Protsahan Scholarship Scheme have paved the way for the youth of the state to become self-reliant,' the post further read. Earlier in the day, the PM, highlighting the continuous efforts of his government to empower youth, said that it was a matter of 'great' happiness that the youth were playing a leading role in nation-building. In a post on X, the Prime Minister said that with the new education policy and focus on skill development and start-ups, the youth of the country have become important partners in the resolution of 'Developed India'. 'In the last 11 years, our government has made continuous efforts to empower the youth. With the new education policy and focus on skill development and start-ups, our youth have become important partners in the resolution of 'Developed India'. It is a matter of great happiness for us that today the youth of the country is playing a leading role in nation building,' PM Modi's post on X read. The year 2025 marks 11 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. The centre, on this occasion, released an ebook highlighting its achievements over the last 11 years. (ANI)
