Latest news with #NavSankalpMahasabha


Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
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. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 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. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 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.


New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Chirag may quit ministry to test Bihar Assembly poll waters from general seat
PATNA: Ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, there is growing speculation that Chirag Pawan, the Union Minister for Food Processing Industries and leader of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), may resign from the Narendra Modi cabinet soon to contest the state polls due later this year. Bihar in-charge of LJP (RV) and Jamui MP Arun Bharti said on Sunday that a formal proposal would be sent to party president Chirag Paswan, requesting him to contest the assembly elections from a general seat instead of a reserved seat. He is likely to announce his return to state politics at a public rally in Ara, Bhojpur district, on June 8. 'Since Chirag is not the leader of a particular community, the party want him to contest a general seat instead of a reserved seat to send out the message that he is ready for a bigger role in the state politics,' Bharti added. With social justice emerging as a major poll plank this time, Chirag's entry into state politics is said to benefit the ruling NDA. LJP(RV) has set to organise 'Nav Sankalp Mahasabha' at Ara in Bhojpur on June 8, in which Chirag may announce his return to state politics. A senior leader of LJP (RV), speaking on condition of anonymity, said Chirag has decided to focus on state politics and bid farewell to national politics.


Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
LJP(RV) urges Chirag to contest assembly polls from ‘general' seat
Patna: Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) Bihar in charge Arun Bharti on Sunday urged party president and Union minister Chirag Paswan to contest the upcoming Bihar assembly elections from a general seat instead of a reserved one, citing the sentiments of the people and party workers. Bharti said Chirag was not the representative of a single community but the "hope of entire Bihar", a remark widely seen as an attempt to project him as a potential chief ministerial candidate. Chirag, who currently holds the food processing industries portfolio in the Narendra Modi govt, has in recent media interactions hinted at taking a more active role in state politics. He rejoined the NDA in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Speculation around his assembly debut gained momentum after Bharti, also the party MP from Jamui, strongly advocated the move – first through a social media post and later in a media interaction. "The people of Bihar have a rare attraction towards him (Chirag). He has acceptability across all castes and communities in the state. Everyone loves him," Bharti said in Delhi, adding that the party's state working committee has already suggested that Chirag take up a "bigger role" to accelerate Bihar's development. While emphasising that some "political forces" had tried to limit Chirag's appeal to a specific caste, Bharti said he enjoyed wide support and must contest from a general seat to reflect his pan-Bihar identity. "Bihar has always remained at the centre of his politics," he added. "His vision for the state's development will become a reality only when he raises the issues from the 'Bihar House'," Bharti said. Chirag has so far only contested Lok Sabha elections, including from reserved constituencies like Jamui and Hajipur. His father, the late Ram Vilas Paswan, and uncle-turned-political rival Pashupati Kumar Paras began their political journeys in the Bihar assembly with Alauli in Khagaria as their launchpad before entering national politics. "Jab neta pure Bihar ka hai, toh seat ka dayra kyon simit ho? (When the leader represents entire Bihar, then why should he be confined to a particular constituency?)" Bharti asked in his post, reiterating that Chirag's goal of an "Atmnirbhar Bihar" would be achievable only if he led the campaign while staying in the state. Bharti said people across Bihar were urging Chirag to play a larger role in state politics. "A recent meeting of the party's state working committee has already passed a unanimous proposal that Chirag should himself contest the upcoming Bihar assembly elections," he said. Party sources said LJP (RV) is working to expand its political footprint this election season. This was evident in a meeting of party workers held in Bikramganj on May 30, where it was decided to organise a "Nav Sankalp Mahasabha" at Babu Kunwar Singh Stadium in Ara on June 8. The meeting followed PM Narendra Modi's address in Bikramganj earlier that day.