Chirag Paswan Declines Deputy CM Ambitions, Plans LJP(RV) Expansion Beyond Bihar as NDA Partner

Chirag Paswan expressed his desire to expand his party's influence beyond Bihar's boundaries, as he stated during his recent address.

In Patna, Union Minister Chirag Paswan declared on Friday that he did not wish to appear "greedy" by requesting the deputy chief minister position. He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allocating two ministerial positions to his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) in Bihar's newly formed cabinet.

During a press conference, Paswan revealed his ambitions to extend the party's presence beyond Bihar as "an NDA partner" into other states including West Bengal, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh.

"Our party secured 19 seats out of the 29 allocated to us within the NDA seat-sharing arrangement. We contested constituencies that were considered challenging for the alliance. This achievement was possible due to public support and the Prime Minister's backing for our party," Paswan stated.

"The LJP (RV) has now received two positions in Bihar's new cabinet... That's sufficient. How much more demanding could Chirag Paswan be?" the Union minister remarked.

The NDA returned to power in Bihar with a decisive victory, winning 202 seats in the 243-member assembly. The BJP secured 89 seats, JD(U) 85, LJP(RV) 19, HAM 5, and RLM 4.

"In 2021, I stood alone. My party was divided... Yet in 2024, the PM showed confidence in our party and granted us five seats for the Lok Sabha elections. We won all five. If I now make additional demands from the alliance, no one would appear more greedy than myself," Paswan explained when asked about seeking the deputy CM position.

Regarding his party's expansion strategies, the Hajipur MP said, "Following our success in winning 19 seats in Bihar's recent assembly elections, we are seriously preparing to expand our party's presence in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab. We will participate in the upcoming assembly elections there as part of the NDA coalition."