INDIA Alliance Approaches BJP Ally In Bihar; Makes 8-Seat Offer: Report (image:facebook.com/ichiragpaswan)
In Bihar, the INDIA alliance made an offer of eight Lok Sabha seats to Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan, sources told NDTV. The bloc has also promised two seats in Uttar Pradesh as well. Since the NDA”s seat-sharing scuffle over Bihar still continues, the INDIA bloc”s move might posit an upper hand in this regard.
For Chirag Paswan, who reportedly offered only six Lok Sabha seats in Bihar by the NDA which also have to be shared with his uncle and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party chief Pashupati Kumar Paras, with whom he is not on best terms.
Meanwhile, the INDIA alliance offer consists all six seats that Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) had contested as an undivided party in 2019, as well as the two additional constituencies in Bihar and two in Uttar Pradesh, the sources told NDTV.
In 2021, following a coup orchestrated against Chirag Paswan by Pashupati Paras, Lok Janshakti Party had split into two; Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) faction headed by Chirag Paswan and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party led by Pashupati Paras. The incident happened a year after party chief and veteran political leader Ram Vilas Paswan died. Ram Vilas Paswan was the brother of Pashupati Paras and father of Chirag Paswan.
When BJP-led NDA government gave Union Minister post to Pashupati Paras, Chirag Paswan had attacked Janata Dal United chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. However, he abstained from attacking BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chirag Paswan, earlier, referred PM Modi is his Ram and he was his Hanuman.
Besides, there are drift between Chirag Paswan and Pashupati Paras over Hajipur Lok Sabha seat. Though Pashupati Paras is the sitting MP from the seat, Chirag Paswan takes claim over the constituency and says that it was his late father”s former constituency and his “karmabhoomi”.
In 2019 elections, BJP and JDU had contested for 17 Lok Sabha seats each and LJP has received remaining six seats. Though BJP and LJP emerged victorious in all the seats they have contested, the JDU had suffered defeat in one seat. Since the bigger alliance members wanted to continue same seat-sharing formula, both Pashupati Paras and Chirag Pawan had to work with the six seats. It was in such context, INDIA alliance”s seat offer to Chirag Paswan comes as a new political opportunity.
For , suffering setback after Nitish Kumar”s quit from the alliance is looking at all possible political equations INDIA alliance to garner Bihar constituency seats. Bihar which comprise 40 seats, sends the fourth-highest number of MPs to the Lok Sabha.
