Chirag Paswan’s experiment gets boost after BJP leaders join LJP

Chirag Paswan wants to come out of BJP’s shadow to become a force in Bihar election

After the announcement of LJP to contest Bihar assembly elections against the Janta Dal United, several senior leaders of the BJP party have started to join the LJP seeking poll ticket. A number of senior Bhartiya Janta Party leaders, including two sitting MLAs, joined the Paswan’s Lok Jan Shakti Party on Wednesday. They are likely to contest in the upcoming elections from Motihari, Dinara, Sasaram and Jhajha constituency. All these seats had gone to JDU under the seat-sharing arrangement with BJP.

Former MLA Usha Vidyarthi is among those who joined the LJP. She is likely to contest from the Paliganj Assembly seat where JDU will contest from the NDA.

It is important to note that Chirag Paswan, the LJP chief himself, rooted to bring Vidyarthi to the party’s fold. The move has created a flutter in the ranks of the Nitish Kumar-led JDU.

Read more: Bihar Assembly Election: How the winner can be decided in the super over after the election

Earlier, Rajendra Singh joined LJP.

This comes a day after another senior BJP leader from the state, Rajendra Singh, vice president of BJP unit in Bihar, joined LJP. Rajendra Singh is a veteran BJP leader and was a promoter of RSS in Bihar for a long time.

Some reports indicated that Rameshwar Chaurasia also wanted to join LJP but BJP President JP Nadda persuaded him not to leave the party. LJP was trying to field Chaurasia from the Nokha seat.

Chirag Paswan had come out strongly against JDU president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar while announcing his exit from the NDA in Bihar, but claimed that he was not against the BJP.

The BJP, on the other hand, in a joint press conference with JDU asserted that they will contest the elections under the leadership of Nitish Kumar and he will be made CM if NDA comes to power. The Bihar BJP unit also said that it will ask the election commission to prohibit the use of PM Narendra Modi’s face in other party’s banners and posters.

Seat sharing of NDA in Bihar assembly polls

As per the seat-sharing formula, JDU will contest elections on 122 seats and BJP will contest on 121 out of total 243 seats. While JDU will make space for Jeetan Ram Manjhi’s HAM, BJP will have to accommodate Mukesh Sahni’s VIP.

Although LJP has decided to exit from the NDA, it will be contesting election only on 122 seats. The party has decided not to contest from the seats which the BJP is fighting.

Chirag Paswan does not want the LJP to just be under the shadow of the BJP. Chirag knows that a plant needs to get out of the shadows and requires exposure to the sun to grow. Thinking behind the move could be that he cannot become a force in Bihar politics until and unless he has numbers in his hand. And these numbers are not possible without contesting elections on a larger number of seats. The party can’t grow if it keeps contesting elections on a limited number of seats.

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