BJP ally Chirag Paswan says his party will contest Bihar Assembly election

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Sunday announced that his party will contest the Bihar Assembly elections, The Indian Express reported.

The polls are expected to take place in October or November.

The Union minister did not announce the constituency from where he will contest the election.

“I will contest the polls, all 243 seats…I am leaving it to you [people of Bihar] to decide from which seat I will contest,” the newspaper quoted Paswan as saying at a rally in Arrah district.

Party leaders had earlier indicated that Paswan could contest from an unreserved seat and that he would announce the constituency during the rally, The Hindu reported. The Union minister is a three-time Lok Sabha MP from the reserved seat of Hajipur.

In the 2020 Assembly polls, the undivided Lok Janshakti Party had contested alone. While the party won just one of the 135 seats it had contested, it secured 5.8% of the vote share, which was seen as having hurt the prospects of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United).

The Lok Janshakti Party split in 2021, with one faction now being led by Paswan.

The JD(U) and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) are part of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance.

The Hajipur MP said on Sunday that his plans to contest the polls should not be construed as him aspiring to become the chief minister. “My contest will only ensure a better strike rate for my party, which would help the NDA [National Democratic Alliance],” he said.

Paswan added: “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.”

Despite being part of the NDA, Paswan has at times struck an independent tone.

He had taken credit for the Union government’s decision to withdraw the controversial lateral entry appointments in bureaucracy. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) had also favoured the contentious Waqf Amendment Bill being sent to the joint parliamentary committee for scrutiny.

Paswan had also joined the Opposition’s call for a nationwide caste census and supported a Bharat Bandh against the Supreme Court’s decision to allow sub-classification in reservations for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes.

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