Chirag Paswan to contest Bihar Assembly elections
What's the story
Chirag Paswan, the chief of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), has announced that he will contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. The announcement was made at a political rally in Saran district on Sunday. "Yes, I will contest the Bihar Assembly polls," said Paswan, who is a Lok Sabha MP in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
Election history
LJP had won only 1 seat in 2020 polls
In the 2020 Bihar polls, Paswan's LJP had contested 137 seats but could only win one seat—Matihani. Currently, he is a Lok Sabha MP and part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which includes Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United (JDU), and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP), among others.
Political stance
Paswan takes a dig at RJD-Congress mahagathbandhan
During his address in Saran, Paswan took a dig at the Mahagathbandhan of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and their allies. He accused them of violating constitutional sanctity. "I swear to my leader and my father Ram Vilas Paswan that as long as I am alive no one can threaten reservation or the Constitution," he said.
Historical reference
Paswan slams Congress, JD(U)
Paswan also slammed the Congress for threatening the Constitution, referring to its addition of 'socialist' and 'secular' to the Preamble during the Emergency. He also took a veiled dig at his NDA partner JDU over Bihar's law and order situation, citing recent murders like that of Patna businessman Gopal Khemka. The Bihar Assembly elections are expected later this year, likely in October or November.