Chirag Paswan's Rising Political Influence: Leads LJP to 19 Seats in Bihar Elections

Chirag Paswan, the late Ram Vilas Paswan's son, has significantly impacted Bihar's political landscape in the recent assembly election. His Lok Jan Shakti Party (Ram Vilas) is now leading in 19 seats, a remarkable improvement from just 1 seat in 2020. Despite speculation, Paswan declined to confirm whether he would become Deputy Chief Minister.

In an exclusive conversation with NDTV's CEO and Editor-In-Chief Rahul Kanwal, Paswan explained that the 2020 results were heavily influenced by divisions within the NDA alliance. He asserted this split enabled Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal to secure 75 seats and emerge as the single largest party.

Paswan had contested independently in the 2020 assembly elections, a strategy that reduced Nitish Kumar's JDU vote share and strengthened BJP's position in Bihar. For this election, he negotiated 29 seats and won 19, demonstrating impressive performance for his newly established party.

"If there had been a united NDA, the RJD would not have exceeded 25 seats," Paswan stated. Currently, the RJD is leading in just 25 seats, only one-third of its 2020 performance.

When asked about potentially becoming Nitish Kumar's Deputy in the incoming government, Paswan responded, "No, not at all. The deserving candidate will be from my party. Whatever responsibility is assigned will go to a party member."

When questioned if he himself might take the position, he laughed, mentioning his existing responsibilities in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet. He avoided further discussion on the matter, stating he would not comment on alliance-related issues.

Responding to suggestions that BJP could form a government with LJP-RV given their numbers, Paswan emphasized that in coalitions, everyone has specific roles that deserve respect. "If anyone is excluded—everyone has a role that should be respected...a sea is just a combination of drops," he remarked. He described himself as "the salt in the alliance...even small things can be important."

Paswan's outstanding performance follows significant challenges for the 43-year-old politician. In 2020, political analysts dismissed him after he independently contested 130 seats but secured only one. Following his father's death, he faced struggles with his uncle over Ram Vilas Paswan's political legacy and the subsequent party division.

However, he proved his political acumen in last year's Lok Sabha election by winning all five contested seats. Regarding his current achievement—a 65 percent strike rate—Paswan remarked, "I think my father would have been proud."