'Voters Will Decide My Seat': Union Minister Chirag Paswan Confirms To Contest Bihar Elections
Last Updated:
Union minister Chirag Paswan on Sunday asserted that it is for the people of Bihar to decide from which seat he should contest the assembly elections due later this year.
Amid the growing speculations, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (LJP-RV) chief Chirag Paswan on Sunday confirmed that he would contest in the upcoming Bihar Legislative Assembly elections.
'I will contest the assembly polls in Bihar. I will contest not just in Bihar but for Bihar and its people. I am the son of Ram Vilas Paswan. I will realise the dreams of my father and work for 'Bihar first, Bihari first' to change Bihar," the LJP leader said.
#WATCH | Arrah, Bihar: On Bihar Assembly Elections 2025, Union Minister Chirag Paswan says, 'For those who ask from where I will contest, I want to tell you that my party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and I will contest on 243 seats to make NDA candidates win and strengthen… pic.twitter.com/yNuM3LjwT2 — ANI (@ANI) June 8, 2025
While sounding the poll bugle at a rally in Bihar's Ara, the Union Minister asserted that it is for the people of Bihar to decide from which seat he should contest the assembly elections.
'It is for the people of Bihar to decide from which seat in the state I should contest the assembly elections. Whenever I take a political decision, I take it for the sake of the state and its people," he added.
Paswan further said that his party will make every effort to ensure that the NDA wins the assembly polls with a huge margin.
'My alliance is only with the people of Bihar, I will contest on all 243 seats to make the NDA stronger. I will live and die for Bihar and for the people of the state… for the pride of the state," he said.
Further, Paswan stated that that his plans to contest the elections – preferably from an unreserved constituency – should not be seen as his alleged chief ministerial ambition.
'Let me make one thing very clear. My contest will only ensure a better strike rate for my party, which would help the NDA," he added.
The 42-year-old, who was said to have been used by the BJP in the last state election to relegate Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party to the second position, also touched an emotional chord, saying now that he has lost his father, the people of Bihar are his only family.
'My alliance is only with the people of Bihar, I will contest on all 243 seats to make the NDA stronger. I will live and die for Bihar and for the people of the state… for the pride of the state," he said.
Earlier this week, Chirag Paswan had expressed his intention to contest the assembly election. 'I don't see myself in central politics for too long. My reason for entering politics was Bihar and the people of Bihar. I want to take forward my vision of 'Bihar First, Bihari First'," he had said.
Having won from a reserved seat like Jamui and Hajipur (his father Ram Vilas Paswan contested from this seat, which became a bone of contention with his uncle at one point), the Union minister is focused on a general seat like Nawada.
In the 2020 election, the JD(U) contested 115 seats but won only 43. The BJP, meanwhile, won 71 out of 110 seats it contested while the HAM won four of seven seats. Vikaasheel Insaan Party won four of the 11 it contested, taking the NDA's score to 125. The LJP, which was part of the NDA, had quit the alliance before the election while the RLSP was also not part of the alliance.
(With inputs from agencies)
First Published:
June 08, 2025, 20:56 IST
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
16 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Using religion for political gains
For the last four decades, political narratives in Andhra Pradesh have always hinged on caste equations. Even if we look at the composition of the current National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the two major parties — the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Jana Sena Party (JSP) — are largely represented by two major castes in Andhra Pradesh — the Kammas and the Kapus. Similarly, the Congress and YSR Congress Party are dominated by the Reddy community. This was not always the case. Before the 1980s, the key players in Andhra Pradesh were the Congress and Left parties, and their narratives were largely based on social issues. Though there were underlying currents of caste-based politics, these did not surface often. The narrative of caste-based politics started with the entry of N.T. Rama Rao into politics in 1982. Rao, the founder of the TDP, advocated for Telugu pride, yet his party was often termed a 'Kamma party'. Ever since the composite State of Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated in 2014, and Telangana was formed, the politics in the residual State of Andhra Pradesh has changed and has assumed religious overtones. While this was noticeable during the previous YSRCP government headed by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, it has become all the more evident during the current NDA regime, which came to power in 2024. Political narratives have been based largely on a number of issues revolving around places of worship and have caused quite a stir in the State. The most prominent of these is the controversy surrounding the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD). It broke out in September 2024 when Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the laddu prasadam was being made with adulterated ghee containing animal fat. He claimed that the contract for the supply of sub-standard ghee had been given to a firm by the earlier YSRCP government. The accusation caused political and religious outrage across the country. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, who is the JSP chief, claimed that adding adulterated ghee was a concerted move to attack Sanatana Dharma. The parties and allies of the NDA left no stone unturned in attacking Mr. Jagan Reddy and his party. They went to the extent of saying that the practice of hiring staff from other faiths had led to 'sacrilege' of the TTD. A Special Investigation Team was constituted to probe this matter and the issue finally reached the Supreme Court. When the controversy died down after a couple of months, Mr. Reddy turned the tables on the NDA following a stampede at the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival at the TTD temple in Tirupati. The incident, which took place on January 8, claimed six lives. Mr. Jagan Reddy and his party alleged negligence, and held the NDA responsible for it. Before this incident too could die down, TTD's former chairman, former MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, alleged that over 170 cows had died in a month at the devasthanams goshala (cow shed) and said that funds for the goshala were being misused by the present TTD board and officials. This led to tense moments in the temple town. Both the YSRCP and the NDA locked horns over the issue. All the political parties in the State, including the Left parties, took turns to add to the discourse. The issue reached a feverish pitch and dominated the political narrative in the State. However, this is not the case only with the present NDA regime although it seems more prominent now. The desecration of Lord Rama's idol at the 12th century Ramatheertham yemple in Vizianagaram district in December 2020 gained considerable political traction. The YSRCP was in power then. All the Opposition parties, including the TDP, the JSP, and the BJP, raised their pitch and made this an election issue in the 2024 general elections. In the same year, a century-old wooden chariot of the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple, located in Sakhinetipalli Mandal in East Godavari district, was set on fire by miscreants. The Opposition parties alleged that people from other faiths had set fire to the chariot. The suspect in the case, who hails from a minority community, was killed in a road accident. Senior politicians and political analysts say that this appears to be a new trend in the State. With religious issues taking centre stage, core issues are taking a backseat. sumit.b@
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Gehlot blames govt for power cuts, energy min says ‘no load shedding'
Jaipur: Former chief minister Sunday criticised the Bhajan Lal govt for frequent power cuts in the state. In a post on X, he said, "When the BJP govt in Rajasthan completed one year, they loudly proclaimed that Rajasthan was a surplus state in terms of electricity. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now However, as soon as the heat began to rise, power cuts started occurring everywhere, in both villages and cities." "Power cuts in a surplus state directly indicate govt mismanagement. The electricity distribution infrastructure in Rajasthan collapsed, causing distress to the common people," he added. Energy minister Heeralal Nagar dismissed Gehlot's claims as "misleading". Nagar stated that there was no load shedding across the state during this year's summer and power supply was only interrupted in a few areas for maintenance, and that too with prior notice. He credited the absence of power cuts to improved management and infrastructure upgrade carried out by the BJP govt. Highlighting achievements, Nagar said over 1,000 MW of solar power had been integrated into the state grid in the past 18 months, and projects worth more than 10,000 MW were in the pipeline. Rajasthan was set to receive 4,000 MW of battery storage support from the Union government, he said, adding that BJP govt completed 80 GSS projects.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Revanth Reddy releases Bandaru Dattatreya's autobiography, calls him ‘Ajata Shatruvu'
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday released the autobiography of Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, titled 'Prajala Kathe-Naa Atma Katha', at Shilpakala Vedika in Hyderabad. The event witnessed the participation of several prominent leaders, including Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Naidu, former President Ramnath Kovind and former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu who heaped praise on Dattatreya's public life and legacy. Speaking at the book launch, the Chief Minister described Dattatreya as an 'Ajata Shatruvu', one who has no enemies, and likened him to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He said that the Haryana Governor stands as a role model for budding leaders, having risen from humble beginnings in Gowliguda, a small locality in Hyderabad, to occupy high constitutional office while maintaining close ties with the people. The Chief Minister made interesting comments on his political journey, describing it as 'Schooling in the BJP, college in the TDP, and now working with Rahul Gandhi'. 'I never hide my relationships,' Mr. Revanth Reddy said, adding that he had close ties with the families of both Mr. Dattatreya and Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy.. He said, 'Leaders cutting across the political lines admire whether or not he holds power,' citing the annual 'Alai Balai' event hosted by Dattatreya. The Chief Minister also said that his government draws inspiration from leaders like P. Janardhan Reddy (PJR) and Dattatreya in making people-centric decisions. Naidu described Dattatreya as the embodiment of a true gentleman and lauded his commitment to secularism and public welfare despite working as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharak, stating that his 'letters to the Chief Minister' reflect both purpose and principle. 'Dattatreya is fondly called as simply Dattanna. He is an Ajata Shatruvu,' Naidu added. Naidu also showered praises on Dattatreya. He said such leaders exemplify value-based public service. 'Those who violate democratic norms must be rejected through democratic means,' he said. Reddy, Telangana Minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, Duddilla Sridhar Babu, former Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, and Governors Jishnu Dev Varma (Telangana), S. Abdul Nazeer (Andhra Pradesh), Kambhampati Haribabu (Odisha) and N. Indrasena Reddy (Tripura) were among the dignitaries present. This autobiography chronicles Dattatreya's seven-decade journey, from helping his mother sell onions in Gowliguda to becoming an RSS pracharak, his involvement in relief work during the 1977 Diviseema cyclone, his arrest during the Emergency, and his tenure as a Union Minister and now as Governor.
