Chirag Paswan's Bihar Gambit: Start By Asking For 45 Seats, Deputy CM 'Dream' In The Long Run?
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Sources said LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan is serious about the Bihar assembly polls and is likely to contest from a general seat rather than a traditionally reserved seat
The BJP may have made it clear that Nitish Kumar will be chief minister if they win the Bihar assembly election – regardless of the numbers – but Chirag Paswan's desire to leave Delhi and return to state politics is being seen in many quarters as a challenge to the JD(U) leader.
Union minister Chirag Paswan, the leader of NDA ally Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), has been 'positioning" himself to ask for a better share of seats, 45 to be precise, reliable sources told News18.
'Chirag Paswan is aware of the sanctity of an endorsement (of Nitish Kumar) by someone like that of Amit Shah (in the Gopalganj rally). He is not in that race (to become CM), let me be very clear about that. But does he want his party to have a fair deal this election and grow bigger? Yes," said a source on condition of anonymity.
Chirag on Monday 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 said.
'Sometimes, when national leaders contest state elections, it does help the party grow. If my participation helps the alliance and strengthens the NDA's position in Bihar, I will contest," he added.
According to sources, Chirag is serious about the election and his party MP Arun Bharti, who is also his brother-in-law, told the media that rather than contesting from a traditionally reserved seat, he will fight from a general seat given he 'represents every segment of society".
Sources in LJP (Ram Vilas) said even before their leader's announcement, a quiet audit was being conducted by third parties to find the seat that will ensure a bumper win for him, while also translating into a big help for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
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.
'He will be fighting from Nawada, this Bihar election. It is confirmed," Bharti told News18.
The seat has 70,000 Bhumihars, 55,000 Yadavs, 50,000 SC/ST voters and 30,000 each Kushwaha and Muslim voters. It is a mixed constituency that will help him emerge as a face defying Bihar's caste considerations, said people close to him.
'Every alliance leader has the right to operate their party the way they wish to operate. I don't think we need to comment upon it," Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal told News18 in a brief statement, when asked to react to Chirag's intentions.
But, why this aggressive push now and can he get 45 seats?
Those close to Chirag insisted that he has reason to believe that Nitish Kumar's health may not allow him to complete a full term if the NDA returns to power.
In such a scenario, he will have a chance to claim the deputy chief minister's post. At present, he commands a 6 per cent vote share and hopes to increase the bar this time, which is why he wants to bargain hard for 45 seats.
Reacting to the seat count, however, a BJP source told News18 that 'we will cross the bridge when it comes". 'It's any alliance partner's right to demand. Last year, after the BJP and JD(U) seat-sharing was done, the BJP had to accommodate smaller allies like the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), led by Mukesh Sahni, from its own quota. Where is the scope? But yes, our leaders will sit with an open mind when the time is right," the source said.
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.
First Published:
June 03, 2025, 08:30 IST
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