Pashupati Paras had revolted against nephew Chirag Paswan and split the LJP in 2021

Union Minister Pashupati Paras resigned from his post on Tuesday and also pulled out his Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) from the BJP-led national alliance. This decision comes a day after the BJP”s announcement of a seat-share agreement with the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), led by Paras” nephew, Chirag Paswan.

Pashupati Paras had revolted against Chirag and split the LJP in 2021, allegedly with the help of Bihar Chief Minister and JDU chief Nitish Kumar. The estranged uncle controls a faction of the Lok Janshakti Party.

The recent BJP-LJP pact for the upcoming Lok Sabha election in Bihar gave Paswan”s LJP five seats, including the Hajipur constituency held by Paras in the 2019 election. Paras” RLJP has been kept out of the NDA.

Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Paras declared his resignation as minister and said, “The NDA (the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance) deal has been announced. I am grateful to the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi). My party and I faced injustice. So I am resigning as minister.”

Amid speculation about potential alliances with opposition forces, both at the state level with the Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal coalition and at the national level with the INDIA bloc led by the Congress, Paras remained non-committal.

Last week, when the BJP was finalising its seat-sharing agreement with Bihar allies, excluding his party, Paras made it clear that the RLJP and its five MPs, including himself, would stand to defend the seats they secured in the previous election. He also claimed that the party was “free to explore other options,” sparking speculation of potential negotiations within the opposition camp.

Meanwhile, he confirmed RLJP”s intent to contest the Hajipur seat. Paras won the Hajipur constituency five years ago for the then-undivided Lok Janshakti Party, led by the party”s founder and Union Minister, Ram Vilas Paswan, Chirag Paswan”s father. Hajipur had been a stronghold for Ram Vilas Paswan, who held the seat for eight consecutive terms. Historically, it had never been won by the BJP.

The decision of the national party to align with Chirag Paswan”s faction of the LJP underscores the perception that he now commands significant influence over the Paswan community”s voting bloc, which constitutes approximately six percent of Bihar”s electorate.

Following indications that Chirag Paswan”s faction held sway over the Paswan vote, the Paras faction found itself sidelined. This development underscores the BJP”s strategic move, positioning itself favorably vis-à-vis Chief Minister Nitish Kumar”s Janata Dal (United).

In the upcoming election, the BJP is contesting on 17 of Bihar”s 40 Lok Sabha seats. The JDU has been assigned 16 and Chirag Paswan five. Jitan Ram Manjhi”s Hindustan Awam Morcha and Upendra Kushwaha”s RLM get one seat each.