Putting a full stop to speculations about its standing with the NDA in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) has decided to go solo. The decision was taken on Sunday evening after the party’s parliamentary board meeting which was attended by several senior party leaders.
After the meeting, a statement was issued by LJP’s Abdul Khaliq, which said, “Due to the ideological differences at the state-level with the JDU, the LJP has decided to fight the assembly elections separately.” The statement also stressed on the party’s motto—‘Bihar first-Bihari first’.
The official statement also underlined, “There can be difference of ideologies on many seats with the JDU. Voters should be able to decide who they want as their candidate. The LJP wants to implement the Bihar vision document and the two parties have not been able to reach a consensus on it.” This statement clearly suggests that the party›s relation with another NDA partner, BJP, will remain intact and the party is parting ways with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar›s JD(U) only.
“However, we have a strong alliance with the BJP and, even in Bihar, we want to continue this collaboration. There is no sourness in our relations. After the state elections, all the candidates who win will form a BJPLJP government and follow the path of progress shown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” LJP›s statement said. After the meeting, the LJP president refused to comment on this but flashed a victory sign and said, “jeet humari hogi” (victory will be ours). In the last few months, Chirag has continuously taken potshots at the Nitish Kumar government over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the flood situation in the state.
Although the LJP has not revealed the exact number of seats where it will field its candidates, a source within the party told The Daily Guardian that the party will not field any candidate against the BJP but will make sure to contest on each seat where JD(U) will contest under the alliance with the BJP.
Bihar will vote on 28 October, and 3 and 7 November for a new government and the results will be announced on 10 November.
In the last assembly elections in 2015, the LJP had fought elections with the BJP and Nitish Kumar had been part of the grand alliance with RJD and Congress. But after Nitish Kumar switched sides, it had become a tough task for the BJP to accommodate the LJP. Nitish Kumar was not ready to contest less than 120 seats and the BJP had no choice but to offer 12- 15 seats to the LJP from its own quota of seats, which was not acceptable to the latter.
At the Centre, the LJP is part of the NDA, where Ram Vilas Paswan, Chirag’s father and senior politician, is part of the Modi Cabinet.