The status of BJP’s relations with the Paswans has been complicated in recent months
Patna:
The ruling BJP, mired in allied trouble, received an ultimatum from Bihar’s key ally, Chirag Paswan, just weeks before the October-November state elections.
Chirag Paswan, whose father Ram Vilas Paswan is minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, reportedly met BJP president JP Nadda yesterday and demanded a decision on the sharing of seats as soon as possible.
Otherwise, Paswan junior reportedly told Nadda, the Lok Janshakti (LJP) party will field candidates in 143 of Bihar’s 243 seats.
Sources claim that Chirag Paswan has also made it clear that he will not hesitate to field candidates against Janata Dal United (JDU) under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He reportedly reminded the BJP leader that recently the JDU said it had no alliance with the LJP. “So the LJP can present candidates against JDU candidates,” he said, according to sources.
Chirag Paswan’s warning escalates the NDA vs NDA scenario in these polls after days of seat-sharing talks failed to yield results.
Bihar will vote on October 28, November 3 and 7 for a new government and the results will be announced on November 10.
BJP’s relationship status with the Paswans has been complicated in recent months due to a feud between Nitish Kumar and Chirag Paswan.
The chief minister, who has been attacked by the opposition over a range of issues including the fight against coronaviruses and the migrant jobs crisis, has not been spared by the Paswan party, technically its allies in the NDA or the National Democratic Alliance.
In May, Chirag Paswan said he would support the BJP “whether he joins the leadership of Nitish Kumar or changes his mind.” Since then, his attacks on the Chief Minister have been overt and progressively more sharp. Now LJP leaders are also openly advocating for Chirag Paswan for the post of chief minister, although Nitish Kumar has already been endorsed by Prime Minister Modi as well as Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “He is definitely the main ministerial candidate of our party, there is no doubt about it,” Shahnawaz Ahmad Kaifi, national secretary general of the LJP, told the ANI news agency.
Nitish Kumar’s decision to bring his rival-turned-ally Jitan Ram Manjhi into the NDA has fueled more anger in the Paswan camp, which has a similar vote bank.
Adding insult to injury, Nitish Kumar recently unveiled his “Seven Nischay (seven resolves) part 2, “doubling after Chirag Paswan’s complaint about the chief minister working on the agenda of his previous alliance with the RJD and Congress despite the change of alliances.
If the Paswans decide to leave the BJP-led coalition, they will be the third allies to do so. The BJP recently lost one of its oldest partners, Akali Dal, to agricultural laws. Another longtime ally, Shiv Sena, split from the BJP last year over power sharing in Maharashtra.
Sources claim that BJP leaders in Bihar believe that even if Chirag Paswan leaves the alliance, the NDA will end up consolidating Mahadalit or the extremely backlogged votes, which are outside the LJP’s main Dalit voting bank.
