Chirag Paswan, a minister in the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is likely to contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The momentum around his potential candidature gained traction on Sunday after Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president's brother-in-law and Jamui MP Arun Bharti indicated that he should contest from a general (unreserved) seat rather than a reserved one.
Paswan has earlier expressed his intention to enter state politics, and just last week, he mentioned the possibility of contesting from the Hajipur Assembly constituency.
Chirag is hope of the whole of Bihar
Adding to the ongoing speculation, Jamui MP Arun Bharti posted on social media that Chirag Paswan's long-standing motto — "Bihar First, Bihari First" — can truly be realised only if he leads from the front by actively participating in Bihar's state politics.
Bharti emphasised that during his visits as state in-charge, party workers and locals repeatedly expressed their desire for Chirag to take on a stronger leadership role in Bihar. He also recommended that Chirag contest from a general (unreserved) seat to demonstrate that his leadership represents all sections of society, rather than a single community.
"The general sentiment of the party workers is that Chirag Paswan should contest assembly elections from a general, and not reserved seat," party’s Bihar in-charge and Jamui MP Arun Bharti wrote in a X post.
"When the leader is from the entire Bihar, then why should the scope of the seat be limited?" he asked, adding that the party workers and the people of the state want him to play a bigger role. "Chirag today is not just a representative but the hope of the whole of Bihar," Bharti said.
Which seat will he choose?
According to media reports, he is likely to contest from one of the constituencies, Patna, Danapur, or Hajipur. However, the final decision is expected to be taken by Chirag Paswan himself.
It is pertinent to mention that so far, Chirag Paswan has only contested Lok Sabha elections from reserved constituencies like Jamui and Hajipur. However, he has never contested in any assembly election.
LJP (RV) may call meeting to back Chirag Paswan's assembly polls debut
The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is likely to soon call a meeting of its executive members to formalise a proposal urging its president and Union minister Chirag Paswan to contest the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. According to news agency PTI, sources its leaders had met on May 30 in Bihar's Bikramganj, where hours later Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public meeting, to back the idea. Paswan himself was not in the meeting.
LJP (Ram Vilas) MP Arun Bharti told PTI that Bihar is central to Paswan's politics and he has repeatedly spoken about his vision for the state's development, recalling the 'Bihar First Bihari First' agenda put forth by the Union minister. "This can be better voiced if Paswan reiterates the agenda from the soil of Bihar and its assembly," Bharti said, outlining the reason behind the clamour within the party for its main face to contest the assembly polls, expected to be held in October-November.
This move is also being viewed as a show of strength by the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), a key player in Bihar's BJP-led NDA. It is the third-largest member of the alliance after the BJP and Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United).
With the NDA now more crowded than ever in Bihar, seat-sharing talks have yet to begin, and the alliance partners are already positioning themselves for what promises to be tough negotiations.
Founded by the late Ram Vilas Paswan, a prominent Dalit leader, the party considers itself vital to the alliance's success in a state where the opposition RJD-Congress-Left coalition is eyeing a chance to end Kumar's two-decade rule amid questions over his leadership.
The LJP (RV) can call a meeting of its national or state executive members to formalize the proposal for Chirag Paswan to contest the assembly elections.
What was the party's performance in the 2020 assembly polls?
Paswan's decision to break away from the NDA in the 2020 assembly polls and field candidates mainly against the JD(U) due to differences with Nitish Kumar had severely weakened the ruling party, elevating the BJP's role and bringing the opposition closer to power.
Although Paswan's party won only one seat then and faced a split, it has since regained political momentum, winning all five Lok Sabha seats it contested in the 2024 elections.
Other NDA allies in Bihar include parties led by Union minister Jitan Ram Majhi and former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, in a state assembly with 243 seats.
Chirag Paswan, a three-term Lok Sabha MP, has never contested in assembly elections but has recently shown interest in entering state politics.
(With PTI inputs)
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