"Yes, I Will Contest From Bihar," says Chirag Paswan

Patna: Lok Janshakti Party-Ramvilas (LJP-R) chief Chirag Paswan, who got a Union cabinet berth after the Lok Sabha election last year, on Sunday announced at a public rally that he would contest the coming assembly election in Bihar later this year.

"I will contest the assembly polls in Bihar. I will contest not just from Bihar but for Bihar and its people. I am the son of Ram Vilas Paswan. I will realise the dreams of my father and work for 'Bihar first, Bihari first' to change Bihar," the LJP-R leader said while addressing a public meeting in Bihar's Ara, 60 km west of state capital Patna.

"It is for the people of Bihar to decide from which seat in the state I should contest the assembly elections. Whenever I take a political decision, I take it for the sake of the state and its people," he added.

Chirag also touched an emotional chord, saying now that he has lost his father, the people of Bihar are his only family.

In last assembly polls in 2020, the LJP leader was said to have been used by the BJP in the last state election to relegate Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party to the second position.

"My alliance is only with the people of Bihar, I will contest on all 243 seats to make the NDA stronger. I will live and die for Bihar and for the people of the state... for the pride of the state," the Union Minister said.

Chirag, however, said his plans to contest the elections from an unreserved constituency should not be construed as his chief ministerial ambitions.

"Let me make one thing very clear. My contest will only ensure a better strike rate for my party, which would help the NDA," he said.

Chirag had contested against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United in the 2020 assembly polls. His party cut The JDU's dominant position in the alliance and allowed the BJP to play big brother.

The JD-U had bitterly blamed the BJP and it created bad blood between Kumar and Paswan Junior.

In 2021, came the split in the LJP amid a battle between Chirag and his rebel uncle Pashupati Paras over the legacy of Ram Vilas Paswan, which was beleived to be backed by Nitish Kumar with backing of the BJP. However, during seat sharing for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the BJP made its change of stance clear, cutting a deal with the Chirag Paswan faction of the LJP.