Ahead of Lok Sabha election of 2024, Chirag Paswan, the national president of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is set to return to NDA, and said that a decision on an alliance with BJP will be announced in the coming days. The self-proclaimed ‘Hanuman’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 9 stressed that his party has always been supporting the issues of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and will keep on doing it.
Mr. Paswan convened a high-level meeting of its State and national office bearers at his residence in Patna today. Before the meeting started, senior BJP leader and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai met Mr. Paswan. The closed-door meeting lasted for around 40 minutes which hinted towards the bond between BJP and LJP(R).
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The State and national office bearers along with the senior leaders of the party made the consensus to authorize Mr. Paswan to take the final call on the alliance. However, the meeting between Mr. Paswan and Rai have given enough indication that the son of former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan , who was considered a Dalit icon, is set to return to NDA.
“There have been debates and discussion over the alliance of LJP(R) for a long time and even media people have been asking questions on the issue of alliance. I have always maintained the decency to ensure that talk of alliance should always take place within the alliance itself instead of bringing it on public domain. Time and again LJP (R) has been supporting BJP’s issues. Even in by polls in Bihar, our party supported BJP,” Mr Paswan said.
Union Minister Nityanand Rai meets Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan, in Patna, on July 9, 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI
He further said, “A serious talk has taken place today on the issue of alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha and for 2025 Assembly polls. I had a talk with Nityanand Rai ji as well on several issues, however I would be going against the alliance Dharma if I make any statement on it before finalizing it within the alliance. The party officials and leaders have authorized me to take the final call on the alliance. In days to come, few more meetings would take place and after that a decision on alliance would be made in public.”
In 2014, the BJP had entered into an alliance with the undivided LJP, which won six of seven Lok Sabha seats it contested. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the LJP won six seats it contested in alliance with the Janata Dal (United) and the BJP. However, five LJP MPs rallied against Mr. Paswan and joined hands with his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras in 2021.
Mr. Paras grabbed a Union Cabinet berth after the BJP took on his Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party as an NDA ally.
The tussle between nephew and uncle still continues after Mr. Paswan announcement of contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha election from Hajipur which is currently represented by Mr. Paras. Mr. Paswan’s father has represented Hajipur seat eight times since his first win in 1977 when he won by a record margin of 4,24,545 votes.
After the announcement, Mr. Paras had said that his nephew is not the part of NDA and he will contest from Hajipur and is capable enough to defeat any candidate from that seat.
Asked about any discussion over his uncle, Arun Kumar, national vice president of LJP (R) said, “There was no discussion on uncle and aunty during the meeting. The discussion took place on the agenda of Chirag ji which talks about Bihar First and Bihari First. The party will support whatever decision he will take.”
Mr. Kumar did not reveal whether any talk took place on seat sharing but sources said that Mr. Paswan is demanding six Lok Sabha seats for his party.
