Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) President Chirag Paswan, who had been fiercely targeting the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government in recent days, seems to have suddenly changed his stance. Until recently, Chirag had expressed regret over supporting a government in which law and order, according to him, had gone out of control. However, in a surprising shift, he now says that Nitish Kumar will once again take charge as the Chief Minister of Bihar after the upcoming Assembly elections.
What did Chirag Paswan say?
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in New Delhi on July 28, the Union food processing minister said the NDA is a "winning combination" for the elections and reiterated his commitment towards Prime Minister Modi. "Several times I have reiterated that my commitment and love is towards the Prime Minister. Under PM Modi's leadership, the elections (in Bihar) will be fought. After the election results, Nitish Kumar will again take oath as Chief Minister. Definitely, he will be the Chief Minister," he said.
Chirag Paswan also pointed out that Aadhaar cards do not have place of birth clarity, adding that people can appeal at three levels if there are any problems. "Opposition created such noise on this issue. Have they given any proof to show if names have been removed wrongly?" he asked."Only the one wrongly registered will be deleted. But at the same time it will be ensured that no one is meted out with injustice. We also need to ensure intruders do not take advantage of our voters," Paswan said.
He noted that after every election, it was the Opposition that complained to the Election Commission about anomalies in voter lists. "EVMs are fine now, voter lists are an issue for them." The minister said the process will be implemented across the country eventually.
Bihar Assembly Elections 2025
It should be noted here that the Legislative Assembly election for all 243 constituencies in Bihar is expected to be held in October or November 2025. The previous assembly elections were held in October–November 2020. After the election, the National Democratic Alliance formed the state government, with Nitish Kumar becoming Chief Minister. Later, in August 2022, Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) snapped ties with the NDA and formed the government with RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. Later, In January 2024 Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) snapped ties with RJD-led Mahagathbandhan and again formed the government with the BJP.
(With inputs from PTI)
