Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan confirmed that the upcoming Bihar assembly elections will be fought under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Addressing the question of whether he would be projected as a Chief Ministerial candidate, Chirag dismissed the notion entirely, stating, "This question does not arise. The next election will be fought under the leadership of the current Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar). All the NDA allies have made this clear."
When asked about the ongoing competition between himself and Tejashwi Yadav, Chirag said he was unaware of who was making such comparisons, emphasising that the NDA coalition, under Nitish's leadership, will contest the election. "There is no doubt about Nitish Kumar leading the alliance in the upcoming polls. He remains a strong and crucial part of the NDA, and we are united under his leadership," Chirag said while speaking at India Today Conclave Mumbai 2024.
Paswan also expressed confidence in the NDA's ability to secure a victory in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections. "If you want to gauge the direction of the political winds, I can tell you the NDA will return to power in Bihar in 2025. There's no doubt about it. Look at our performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections; while the BJP may have struggled in some states, we performed exceptionally well in Bihar," Paswan said.
LJP's expansion is on the cards
Speaking on expanding his party, Chirag revealed his plans to contest elections in states like Punjab and Jharkhand. "Expansion is on the cards. In the coming days, we have elections in Jharkhand, and I have continuous programs there. For example, in Nagaland, my party fought the elections alone, and today, we have two MLAs supporting the NDA government. We also have councilors in Nagaland. Similarly, I'm focusing on expanding the party in states like Punjab and Jharkhand," he said.
Chirag also reflected on his journey of rebuilding his party after being ousted from his own party, when his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras took over as the president. "You have to give me credit for starting from scratch. Two to three years ago, everything was taken away from me, and I was thrown out of my own party. I had practically nothing. I had to start afresh with a new name and symbol. Today, I’m proud to say that in the Lok Sabha, we maintained a 100% strike rate. We were given five seats, and I delivered all five to the Prime Minister," he stated.
LJP's solo gamble in 2020
Chirag also addressed the issue of contesting elections alone in 2020, when his party secured just one seat. In 2020, the LJP walked out of the alliance just ahead of the polls and contested 135 seats. "When you are part of an alliance, it's to strengthen each other. But in Bihar, history will tell you that no one besides Chirag Paswan had the courage to contest elections alone. At least I was man enough to do it," he said. Chirag rejected the charge that he turned out to be a vote-cutter. He said he consolidated his party's votes. Despite contesting solo, he added, his party came in second place in 20 constituencies and consolidated around 6% of the vote share, which he believes could have reached 12-13% had they contested more seats.
Nitish Kumar's health
Chirag dismissed rumors about Nitish Kumar's health as a narrative created by the opposition. "The opposition always tries to set a wrong narrative ahead of elections. Last time, they said reservations would be removed, or the Constitution would be abolished. Now, they are spreading rumors about Nitish Kumar's health. I believe anyone who leads a state has the mental and physical capacity to do so. The people spreading these rumors are trying to gain political mileage," Chirag asserted.
On Prashant Kishor
When asked about political strategist Prashant Kishor's planned entry into politics, Chirag stated, "I am a person with a positive mindset. I want to make my mark bigger by strengthening my party and the NDA alliance. I don't know what role Prashant will play in electoral politics or if he will join the alliance or contest alone. He has been a good friend of mine for years, and I wish him the best. Only time will tell what his future holds in electoral politics."