Chirag Paswan keen to contest Bihar polls, claims Nitish will remain CM
Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan on Monday said he will 'definitely contest' the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections if his candidature improves the prospects of his party as well as the ruling NDA alliance in the state.
When asked about the possibility of his contesting the Bihar polls, Chirag told the media, 'I have already said that I don't see myself in the politics of the Centre for a longer period. The reason for my entry into politics is Bihar and Biharis (people of Bihar). I have my own vision – Bihar first, Bihari first. In such a situation, I want my state Bihar to stand at par with developed states. After becoming an MP for the third time, I realised that it may not be possible by staying in Delhi.'
The LJP(RV) chief was talking to reporters at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Chhattisgarh's Raipur.
Chirag said he has expressed his wish to contest the Bihar polls to his party. 'The party is evaluating whether my candidature will benefit it. Because when national leaders contest state elections, that strengthens your position in the elections. The BJP has tried this strategy many times by fielding their MPs in the Assembly elections and have got its benefit. So, if my move to enter the poll fray improves the strike rate of my party and performance of the alliance (NDA), which is appearing possible in discussions, then I will definitely contest,' he said.
Chirag pointed out that the LJP(RV) achieved a 100 per cent strike rate in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Bihar and that he would like his party's strike rate to be just as good in the state Assembly polls due in October-November this year. Contesting the Lok Sabha polls as part of the NDA coalition, the LJP(RV) won all five seats it contested.
Asked about the NDA's chief ministerial face in the Bihar polls, Chirag said, 'There is no vacancy for the post of Bihar CM. Current CM Nitish Kumar will be CM again after the poll results.'
It is another matter that Chirag has been known for having a strained relationship with the JD(U) and its supremo Nitish.
Chirag's statement came a day after LJP(RV) MP Arun Bharti, in an X post, said that the party workers want him to contest the Assembly election and that too from a general seat.
'Our national president Chirag Paswan ji always says that his politics is Bihar-centric and his vision 'Bihar First, Bihari First' is a resolution for a developed and self-reliant Bihar. This is possible only when he himself stays in Bihar and leads. When I went from village to village as the state in-charge, people everywhere had only one demand – that Chirag ji should now play a bigger role in Bihar. Recently, in the party executive meeting, a proposal was also passed unanimously that he should contest the upcoming Assembly elections himself,' Bharti stated.
'At the same time, there is a feeling among the workers that this time he (Chirag) should contest the election not from a reserved seat but from a general seat – so that the message goes out that he is now ready to lead the entire Bihar and not just one section. Chirag Paswan today is not just a representative, he is the hope of the whole of Bihar. His move will give a new direction to the politics of social justice…' Bharti added.
Chirag is currently MP from Hajipur (SC-reserved), the constituency of his father and LJP founder late Ram Vilas Paswan.
In the 2020 Bihar polls, the then undivided LJP had gone solo, winning just one seat out of 135 seats the party contested, even though it caused damage to the JD(U) on several seats.
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