Bollywood Was His Trailer. Is Bihar The Main Film For Chirag Paswan?

With the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leading on 19 of the 29 seats it contested, Chirag Paswan has consolidated his position within the National Democratic Alliance. Seventeen of these seats were previously held by the Mahagathbandhan in the 2020 elections, adding fresh gains to the ruling coalition and helping it cross the 200-seat mark.

LJP(RV) was formed in 2021 after Mr. Paswan’s uncle, Pashupati Nath Paras, engineered a split, taking four of the five Lok Sabha MPs less than a year after party founder Ram Vilas Paswan’s death. Even during Ram Vilas Paswan’s lifetime, the party struggled to secure a strong foothold in the Assembly. Its best performance came in February 2005, when it won 29 seats, though the outcome was short-lived, with indecision over which coalition to support leading to a second election later that year.

Ram Vilas Paswan and Nitish Kumar have had their share of differences. In 2007, during his first term, Mr. Kumar carved out the Mahadalit category to extend special assistance to the most marginalised Scheduled Castes. Of the 22 sub-castes, 21 were included, excluding the Paswan community, which created resentment and widened the rift.