Chirag Paswan's Political Ascendancy: How a Young Leader Transformed Bihar's Political Landscape

Chirag Paswan's party secured victory in all five constituencies it contested during the Lok Sabha elections.

The Bihar elections this year will be remembered not only for the NDA's sweeping victory and the formidable alliance between JDU chief Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi but also as the period when a young leader firmly established himself in state politics following the era of socialist icons.

After negotiating firmly to secure 29 constituencies for his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) within the NDA coalition, party president Chirag Paswan has seemingly demonstrated his capability by leading in 19 seats—achieving a success rate of 65%. This accomplishment is particularly significant considering the party's victory in all five contested seats during last year's Lok Sabha elections, especially after being nearly dismissed following the 2020 Assembly elections.

In 2020, the then-unified LJP competed independently due to disagreements with JDU chief Nitish Kumar, winning only one seat out of over 130 contested. Despite obtaining a respectable vote share and disrupting the JDU in multiple constituencies, numerous political analysts questioned whether Chirag possessed the charisma and political insight necessary to continue his father Ram Vilas Paswan's legacy, who was regarded as a towering figure in Bihar's political landscape.

Chirag's situation deteriorated when the party divided in 2021 after his uncle, Pashupati Kumar Paras, also claimed ownership of Ram Vilas Paswan's political inheritance.

Then came a hard-fought comeback. At 43 years of age, relatively young by Indian political standards, Chirag positioned himself as a youth leader—referring to himself as a 'Yuva Bihari'—while remaining committed to his party's foundation of advocating for Dalit causes.

The dedication demonstrated by Chirag and his party members yielded results in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where they won all five contested constituencies, establishing themselves as serious contenders with a perfect 100% success rate.

Despite this achievement, the principal NDA parties, BJP and JDU, were reportedly hesitant to allocate more than 20 of Bihar's 243 constituencies to the LJP (RV) for the Assembly elections. Chirag reportedly initiated discussions with Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party, indicating he would not be taken for granted, and eventually secured 29 constituencies from the governing alliance.

Delivering a powerful response to his critics, Chirag has led his party to its best-ever performance in Assembly elections. The last time the LJP (then unified under Ram Vilas Paswan's leadership) won over 20 seats was in February 2005, securing 29 constituencies. That figure was achieved when the party contested 178 seats, making this year's performance even more remarkable.

What Next?

Before the elections, Chirag had suggested he would pursue a deputy chief minister position while also managing expectations among party workers who, according to him, would prefer seeing him in the state's highest office.

"The Chief Minister's position has never been vacant in 2025. I respect my party workers' sentiments. I understand they naturally aspire to see their leader in the top position. If your supporters don't believe you can reach the highest office, you've failed to inspire them. I always wanted my father Ram Vilas Paswan ji to become Prime Minister," he revealed in an exclusive pre-election interview with NDTV.

"I'm uncertain about what the future holds. But I prefer to advance one level before determining the next strategy. My immediate priorities after the Bihar elections are the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab elections in 2027. Then for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, I want to witness my prime minister elected for a fourth term. After that, we'll concentrate on 2030," he explained.

Days before the results, Chirag also reaffirmed his steadfast loyalty to PM Modi, dismissing any possibility of aligning with others if election outcomes differed from NDA expectations.

"I do communicate with Priyanka (Gandhi) ji, and I want to emphasize again that as long as my Prime Minister remains, I am absolutely not going elsewhere. My dedication and affection remain unwavering. I admire him perhaps too deeply," he stated.

'Landslide Win'

Describing it as a "landslide win" for the NDA, LJP(RV) MP Shambhavi Chaudhary told NDTV the fundamental reason for their victory was the alliance's "development-oriented politics".

When asked whether this establishes the groundwork for Chirag Paswan to emerge as the leading representative of the extremely backward classes by 2030, Chaudhary responded that the party's current focus remains on fulfilling its promises.