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Hans India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
LJP Leader Arun Bharti Endorses Chirag Paswan For Bihar Assembly Elections
Union Minister Chirag Paswan is being actively encouraged by his party colleagues to participate in Bihar's upcoming Assembly elections, scheduled for October-November 2025. Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP Arun Bharti has emerged as a vocal advocate for Paswan's electoral participation, describing it as a "collective grassroots demand" across Bihar. The party leader emphasized that internal discussions within LJP have consistently projected Paswan as a potential chief ministerial candidate. Bharti, who serves as the party's state coordinator, shared his observations from extensive village tours throughout Bihar. According to him, there is widespread public sentiment favoring Paswan's increased involvement in state politics. "During my travels across Bihar, I encountered a consistent message from people - they want Chirag ji to assume a more prominent role in the state's governance," Bharti explained through his social media statements. The LJP leadership has reportedly passed a unanimous resolution during recent party executive meetings, formally urging Paswan to contest the Assembly elections. This internal consensus reflects the party's strategic positioning ahead of the crucial state polls. Party cadres have specifically requested that Paswan contest from a general (unreserved) constituency rather than a reserved seat. This strategic decision aims to project him as a leader representing all sections of Bihar society, rather than being confined to a particular demographic. The move is designed to establish Paswan's credentials as a pan-Bihar leader capable of uniting diverse communities under his political vision of "Bihar First, Bihari First." To demonstrate organizational strength and public support, LJP (Ram Vilas) has organized a 'Nav Sankalp Sabha' scheduled for June 8 in Ara. The event at Ramna Maidan is expected to mobilize party workers and supporters from seven districts, serving as a platform to showcase Paswan's political influence. This gathering is being viewed as a strategic step toward formally announcing Paswan's candidacy and reinforcing his position within the party hierarchy. When questioned about his potential Assembly candidacy, the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries indicated openness to the proposal while deferring the final decision to party leadership. "I have entrusted this decision entirely to my party. If they determine that my candidacy would benefit our organization, candidates, and the NDA alliance, I am prepared to participate," Paswan stated to media representatives. The minister emphasized the importance of maintaining the party's impressive performance record, similar to their success in the recent Lok Sabha elections. The Bihar Assembly elections are expected to witness a direct confrontation between the NDA coalition and the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. However, political analysts also point to the potential impact of Prashant Kishor's newly formed Jan Suraaj party on the electoral dynamics. Paswan's potential participation adds another dimension to the complex political calculations as parties prepare for the crucial state elections that will determine Bihar's governance for the next five years.
Mint
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Bihar Election 2025: Will Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM join Opposition's INDIA bloc?
Bihar Election 2025: Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is looking to join the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan in Bihar for the upcoming Assembly elections. The Congress and the left parties are part of the Mahagathbandhan or the grand alliance, apart from the RJD led by Lalu Prasad Yadav. The AIMIM leaders in Bihar have been in touch with the RJD leaders, according to a report in The Indian Express. The Mahagathbandhan in Bihar is part of INDIA bloc alliance – an amalgamation of opposition parties forged against BJP-led National Democratic Alliance ahead of 2024 general elections. 'We are interested in having an alliance with the Mahagathbandhan. We are very positive about forging it. Our ideology is to defeat the BJP and empower Bihar. Our fight with the BJP is the same as Congress's fight. We want the grand alliance to take AIMIM on board,' AIMIM national spokesperson Adil Hasan told The Indian Express. The Hyderabad MP's party has so far maintained a distance from the Opposition INDIA bloc. In fact, the Mahagathbandhan parties used to call AIMIM as 'BJP's B team', alleging that it was playing the role of 'votekatwa (vote-cutter)' for the grand alliance. Owaisi has rejected these allegations as baseless. In the 2020 assembly polls, when AIMIM was part of a 'third front with the BSP and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), it won five of the 20 seats it contested and bagged 14.28 per cent of the votes polled in the 20 seats. All five seats won by AIMIM were in the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region in east Bihar. Two years later, four of these five AIMIM MLAs, however, defected to the RJD. For now, AIMIM plans to contest over 50 Assembly seats out of 243 in the upcoming Bihar polls. However, the Indian Express report, quoting sources, said the party is flexible and will contest fewer seats if the RJD and the Congress agree to accommodate it. 'AIMIM has performed well in the past polls. And we have already supported the Opposition alliance on a number of occasions – in the Speaker's election and on Bills brought by the NDA government,' Hasan said. There has not been any formal discussion of the AIMIM leaders with the RJD and Congress leaders for the alliance so far. Besides the five seats which it had won in 2020, the party would like to contest from several seats across the regions of Mithilanchal, Champaran, Shahabad, Magadh and Bhagalpur, where it claims to have developed its organisation in the last five years. We are interested in having an alliance with the Mahagathbandhan. Our ideology is to defeat the BJP and empower Bihar. In his recent visit to Bihar, the AIMIM chief attacked the ruling BJP, the JD(U) and the RJD.
Mint
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Bihar Election 2025: Will Asaduddin Owaisi join Opposition's India bloc?
Bihar Election 2025: Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is looking to join the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan in Bihar for the upcoming Assembly elections. The Congress and the left parties are part of the Mahagathbandhan, apart form the RJD led by Lalu Prasad Yadav. The AIMIM leaders in Bihar have been in touch with the RJD leaders, according to a report in The Indian Express. 'We are interested in having an alliance with the Mahagathbandhan. We are very positive about forging it. Our ideology is to defeat the BJP and empower Bihar. Our fight with the BJP is same as Congress's. We want the grand alliance to take AIMIM on board,' AIMIM national spokesperson Adil Hasan told The Indian Express. The Hyderabad MP's party has so far maintained a distance from the Opposition INDIA bloc. In fact, the Mahagathbandhan parties used to call AIMIM as 'BJP's B team', alleging that it was playing the role of 'votekatwa (vote-cutter)' for the grand alliance. Owaisi has rejected these allegations as baseless. In 2020 assembly polls, when AIMIM was part of a 'third front with the BSP and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), it won five of the 20 seats it contested and bagged 14.28 per cent of the votes polled in thee 20 seats. All five seats won by AIMIM were in Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region in east Bihar. Two years later, four of these five AIMIM MLAs, however, defected to the RJD. For now, AIMIM plans to contest over 50 Assembly seats out of 243 in the upcoming Bihar polls. But the party is flexible to contest fewer seats if the RJD and the Congress agree to accommodate it, The Indian Express report said quoting sources. 'AIMIM has performed well in the past polls. And we have already supported the Opposition alliance on a number of occasions – in the Speaker's election and on Bills brought by the NDA government,' Hasan said. There has not been any formal discussion of the AIMIM leaders with the RJD and Congress leaders for the alliance so far. Besides the five seats which it had won in 2020, the party would like to contest from several seats across the regions of Mithilanchal, Champaran, Shahabad, Magadh and Bhagalpur, where it claims to have developed its organisation in the last five years. We are interested in having an alliance with the Mahagathbandhan. Our ideology is to defeat the BJP and empower Bihar. In his recent visit to Bihar, the AIMIM chief attacked the ruling BJP, the JD(U) and the RJD Owaisi reached Bahrain on Saturday as part of a multi-nation visit by a delegation of Indian parliamentarians, seeking to engage foreign governments on India's stance against terrorism post Operation Sindoor.
Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
AIMIM keen to join Mahagathbandhan as Owaisi eyes bigger role in Bihar polls
After maintaining a distance from the Opposition INDIA bloc so far, Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is now looking to join the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in Bihar for the state Assembly elections due in October-November this year. Besides the RJD led by Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, the Opposition Mahagathbandhan comprises the Congress and the Left parties. The AIMIM leaders in Bihar have been in touch with the RJD leaders. 'We are interested in having an alliance with the Mahagathbandhan. We are very positive about forging it. Our ideology is to defeat the BJP and empower Bihar. Our fight with the BJP is same as Congress's. We want the grand alliance to take AIMIM on board,' AIMIM national spokesperson Adil Hasan told The Indian Express. Although the AIMIM has planned to contest over 50 Assembly seats out of 243 in the upcoming Bihar polls, the party is flexible in choosing its seats and would be ready to contest fewer seats if the RJD and the Congress agree to accommodate it, party sources said. The AIMIM seems to be buoyed by its performance in the 2020 state Assembly polls, when it had formed a 'third front with the BSP and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP). The AIMIM had then created a flutter by winning five of the 20 seats it contested. The party had garnered 14.28% of the votes polled in these 20 seats. The BSP could win only one seat out of 78 seats it contested, while the RLSP failed to open its account despite contesting 99 seats. All the five seats that the AIMIM had won fall in the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region in east Bihar, which encompasses four districts including Araria, Purnea, Katihar and Kishanganj. 'AIMIM has performed well in the past polls. And we have already supported the Opposition alliance on a number of occasions – in the Speaker's election and on Bills brought by the NDA government,' Hasan said. In June 2022, however, the AIMIM suffered a blow when four of its five MLAs — Muhammed Izhar Asfi (Kochadamam), Shahnawaz Alam (Jokihat), Syed Ruknuddin (Baisi) and Azhar Nayeemi (Bahadurganj) — defected to the RJD. State AIMIM president Akhtarul Iman is currently the party's lone MLA (Amour), who has continued to owe allegiance to Owaisi. On the question of an alliance with the Mahagathbandhan, Iman told The Indian Express: 'We have put up a proposal that if you want to weaken the communal forces, then like-minded parties against them should come together. We want our participation. We have presented this proposal before Mahagathbandhan in Bihar. But nothing can be confirmed until things are finalised.' Hasan admitted that the AIMIM leaders have not held any formal discussion with the RJD and Congress leaders for the alliance so far. 'But when these leaders meet in Assembly, they suggest we should contest together. AIMIM too says that we are ready. But RJD will have to take a call on the issue,' Hasan said. Bihar RJD spokesperson Nawal Kishore, however, claimed that he did not have any information about the AIMIM's proposal to join the grand alliance. Bihar Congress spokesperson Prem Chandra Mishra also echoed Kishore's statement, saying he had no such such information. AIMIM sources said that besides the five seats which it had won in 2020, the party would like to contest from several seats across the regions of Mithilanchal, Champaran, Shahabad, Magadh and Bhagalpur, where it claims to have developed its organisation in the last five years. In the event of the AIMIM being not inducted into the grand alliance, the party has planned to contest over 50 seats on its own. Hasan said the party has declared two candidates so far — Rana Ranjeet Singh, a Rajput leader, from Dhaka seat in Champaran district in west Bihar and Tausif Alam from Bahadurganj in Seemanchal. Iman may contest from his Amour constituency or any other seat. 'We are trying to forge this alliance. But if does not happen, RJD will be responsible for it. In that situation we will reach out to Muslim organisations of Bihar,' Hasan said. Owaisi has been leading his party's bid to make inroads in Bihar, especially the Seemanchal region. Wary of the AIMIM's foray into the state, the Mahagathbandhan had earlier called the party the 'BJP's B team', alleging that it was playing the role of 'votekatwa (vote-cutter)' and 'spoiler' for the grand alliance — allegations that Owaisi has rejected as baseless. During his recent visit to Bihar, the AIMIM chief attacked the ruling BJP and JD(U), but even targeted the RJD. However, he remained soft on the Congress. Addressing a rally in Bahadurganj on May 3, Owaisi slammed four party MLAs who had switched to the RJD, claiming that '4 bhage to 24 aayenge (If four MLAs jumped ship, we will have 24 MLAs this time)' and that his party's fight for the cause of the backward Seemanchal region will continue. Taking a swipe at the RJD, he claimed the party will have to eventually reach out to the AIMIM MLAs for support. Addressing a public meeting in Dhaka on May 4, where he spoke at length against the Waqf Amendment Act, Owaisi urged the people to teach a lesson to the NDA as well as the RJD in the upcoming polls. 'Owaisi sahab targeted RJD too because RJD ruled Bihar for a long period but did nothing for its growth, especially in Seemanchal. People were left with no choice but to migrate to other states for jobs,' said an AIMIM leader.
Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
INDIA bloc alliance seat-sharing talks for Bihar polls likely next month
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc constituents are likely to begin the seat sharing discussion after setting up block-level coordination committees next month, said a senior Congress leader on Sunday. 'We are emphasising on allocation of seats among the allies early, so that joint campaigning for the assembly elections could start. Last time, we missed the majority owing to delayed distribution of seats and lack of proper coordination among local-level leaders,' said a former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA, adding that the block-level coordination committees are likely to be finalised in the second week of June. The INDIA bloc constituents, including the RJD, Congress, Left parties and the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) have formed the district-level coordination committees, comprising prominent leaders of their respective parties on May 18. 'Selection of leaders to lead coordination panel is important as they form the real backbone of the coalition during the elections and ensure turning out of electors at booths,' said RJD spokesperson and MLA Bhai Birendra. Also Read: Delhi elections a wake-up call for Cong, INDIA bloc According to a central committee member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), initial talks over seat-sharing may take place at the state-level coordination committee, led by leader of the opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav in Patna. 'After the initial talks, seat sharing formula is likely to be formalized in talks with Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, Dipankar Bhattacharya and the representatives from the CPI and CPI(M),' he added. In 2020, the RJD had contested 144 seats and won 75 seats, while the Congress won 19 out of 70 it had fought in the assembly elections. CPI(ML), CPI and CPI(M) had won 12 (out of 19), 2 each of 6 & 4 respectively. 'We will scruitinise each and every seat before allocation, since the Grand Alliance had lost the majority even after getting almost the same votes polled by the NDA,' said one of the coordination committee members. The RJD-led GA had got around 12,700 votes less than the JD(U)-led NDA in the last assembly polls.
