In a recent development, sources reveal that the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) is set to contest five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar under the seat-sharing agreement with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The allocated seats include Hajipur, Vaishali, Jamui, Samastipur, and Khagaria.
This decision follows a crucial meeting between Chirag Paswan and BJP President JP Nadda in Delhi, wherein discussions were held regarding the allocation of seats. Additionally, sources indicate that the BJP has offered the Bihar Governor’s post to Pashupati Paras, the estranged uncle of Chirag Paswan and chief of the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP), the other faction of the LJP. Paras, who had been engaged in a dispute with Chirag over seat-sharing, is expected to accept the offer.
Under the terms of the agreement reached among the NDA partners, Paras’s party will refrain from contesting any Lok Sabha seats. However, Prince Raj, the sitting MP from Samastipur and cousin of Chirag Paswan, will be appointed as a Minister in Bihar, according to sources.
Following his meeting with JP Nadda, Chirag Paswan confirmed the finalization of the seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April-May. Paswan expressed optimism about the forthcoming announcement regarding the seat distribution.
In a statement posted on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Chirag Paswan conveyed, “As a member of the NDA, today in a meeting with BJP National President Hon Shri @jpnadda ji, we have together finalized the seat sharing in Bihar for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls. The same will be announced in due course.”
The seat-sharing arrangement comes amidst tensions between Chirag Paswan and his uncle Pashupati Paras over their respective claims to the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat, previously held by the late Ram Vilas Paswan.
The finalization of the deal with the NDA follows Chirag Paswan’s assertion of garnering attention from multiple political factions, including the opposition coalition ‘Mahagathbandhan’. With formal announcements pending, discussions continue within the NDA faction in Bihar regarding the distribution of seats, with meetings held in Delhi and Patna to address the matter.
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