LS polls: Seat sharing with BJP in Bihar finalised, says Chirag Paswan

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has finalised a seat-sharing formula with the BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the party's president Chirag Paswan said on Wednesday (March 13).

After a meeting with BJP president J P Nadda, Paswan praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders of the ruling party. He expressed satisfaction at the offer given to him, a change from his recent muscle-flexing as the alliance talks dragged on.

What Paswan said

"As a member of the NDA, today in a meeting with BJP National President Hon Shri @jpnadda ji, we have together finalised the seat sharing in Bihar for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls. The same will be announced in due course," Paswan wrote on his X (Twitter) account with pictures of him and Nadda.

Paswan's party may contest on five of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.

Hajipur seat, currently represented by his estranged uncle and Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras who heads another LJP faction, might be given to Paswan as he considers the constituency a part of his rightful share due to his father Ram Vilas Paswan's long association with it. The LJP founder and stalwart Dalit leader represented Hajipur eight times in Lok Sabha.

"Division of Lok Sabha seats in Bihar among all NDA parties decided. It will soon be formally announced. All my concerns have been addressed by the BJP. I am satisfied," Chirag Paswan said.

What happens to Paras' faction?

Asked about the fate of the faction headed by Paras, Paswan said it was not his concern.

"The seats my party has are mine," he said, in an indication that the claims of the Paras-headed National Lok Janshakti Party might have been ignored by the BJP.

With Paras serving as a Cabinet minister in the Union government, sources said the BJP will not like him to go against the ruling alliance and may accommodate him in some other capacity.

However, a close aide of Paras claimed that his faction, which has four MPs including him, will explore its options as he vented anger against the BJP over its deal with Paswan.

Amid claims and counterclaims by the two LJP factions and the BJP's apparently failed bid for a rapprochement following Ram Vilas Paswan's death in 2020, his younger brother Paras had walked away with four other MPs of the party due to their differences with Chirag Paswan, who remained the only MP in his faction.

However, the Jamui MP was successful in galvanising his party's core supporters around his leadership, making the point to the BJP that he is the political heir to his father's legacy.

One of the MPs of the Paras faction recently crossed over to the Chirag Paswan-led group.

Following Paswan's assertion after talks with Nadda, Paras went into a huddle with his supporters at his residence here as his party weighed its options for the polls.

Paswan confident of NDA sweeping Bihar

Though the BJP and the Janata Dal (United), the second biggest party in the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar, have made no official comments, sources said they may contest around 17 and 16 Lok Sabha seats respectively. Two other smaller allies may be given one seat each.

Paswan exuded confidence that the NDA will be able to win all 40 Lok Sabha seats from Bihar.

Asked about his differences with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who heads the JD(U), he said all NDA constituents are working to achieve the target of crossing 400 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

(With agency inputs)