Chirag Paswan meets Nitish Kumar, backs him as CM face for Bihar polls

by IANS |

Patna, May 19 (IANS) In a key political development ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) national president and Union Minister Chirag Paswan met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at his official residence in Patna on Monday.

The meeting, which lasted over an hour, is believed to have focused on seat-sharing arrangements and broader coalition strategy within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar.

Sources indicate that the LJP (Ram Vilas) is likely to secure a larger share of seats this time. However, neither the LJP (Ram Vilas) nor the Janata Dal (United) has said anything on this.

Chirag Paswan, after the meeting with CM Nitish Kumar, flew to Darbhanga, where he strongly backed Nitish Kumar’s leadership.

“We will contest the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, who will remain the Chief Minister. There is no vacancy for the CM post in Bihar. Under PM Modi and CM Nitish Kumar, the state is progressing rapidly,” he said.

The meeting signals a renewed phase of alliance politics between the two leaders. In the 2020 Assembly elections, Chirag’s decision to field LJP candidates against JD(U) nominees had severely dented Nitish Kumar’s party.

However, the 2024 Lok Sabha elections marked a turnaround, with both leaders demonstrating unity under the NDA umbrella. The LJP (Ram Vilas) won five parliamentary seats, including the prestigious Hajipur constituency -- a result seen as bolstering Nitish Kumar’s standing within the alliance.

Political observers view Monday’s meeting as an effort to formalise and reinforce this new camaraderie ahead of the high-stakes Assembly polls later this year.

The NDA -- comprising the BJP, JD(U), LJP (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) -- now faces the complex challenge of distributing Bihar’s 243 assembly seats among its partners.

While JD(U) and BJP, as the major players, are expected to claim the lion’s share, Chirag Paswan has made it clear that his party expects a “respectable and fair” deal, citing its Lok Sabha performance.