Bihar: Seat sharing with BJP finalised for Lok Sabha elections, Chirag Paswan announces

Chirag Paswan with J P Nadda. Pic/X

LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Wednesday said his party has finalised a seat-sharing formula with the BJP for the Lok Sabha elections. The announcement was made after Paswan met BJP president J P Nadda in New Delhi.

Speaking with the media, Paswan said that all his concerns were addressed and the seats among NDA parties has been decided and will soon be formally announced.

"As a member of the NDA, today in a meeting with BJP national president J P Nadda ji, we have together finalised the seat sharing in Bihar for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls," he said in a post on X.

According to a PTI report, the Hajipur seat represented by his uncle Pashupati Paras, who is heading another faction of Lok Janshakti Party, might be given to Chirag Paswan, who has been staking a claim to the Lok Sabha seat. Hajipur was once the bastion of LJP founder Chirag's father, late Ram Vilas Paswan. Paswan's party might get five to six Lok Sabha seats to contest.

Chirag Paswan also expressed confidence that the NDA will win all 40 Lok Sabha seats from Bihar in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Asked about his differences with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, he said all the NDA constituents are working to achieve the vision of crossing 400 seats nationwide in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Ram Vilas was also the president of the Lok Janshakti Party, nine-times Lok Sabha member and two-time Rajya Sabha MP. He was posthumously awarded India's third highest civilian award the Padma Bhushan in 2021. Ram Vilas Paswan had held cabinet positions under 7 governments.

Meanwhile, Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh Ajay Kapoor switched to the BJP on Wednesday. Welcoming him to the party, BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde said that Kapoor, who served the Congress in various capacities, was its in-charge for Bihar for about six years, PTI report said. His coming to the BJP fold will benefit the party in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and various other states, Tawde added.

(With PTI inputs)