Chirag Paswan-Prashant Kishor Alliance? "Doors Always Open," Say Sources

A Chirag Paswan-Prashant Kishor alliance for next month's Bihar election cannot be ruled out, because 'doors are always open in politics', Lok Janshakti Party sources told NDTV Tuesday.

Talk of Paswan and poll strategist-politician Kishor, who will make his electoral debut, linking up is the latest 'twist' as seat-share talks rumble on between the LJP and the ruling BJP.

Paswan reportedly wants 40 of Bihar's 243 Assembly seats, boosted by a 100 per cent strike rate (five contested, five won) in last year's federal election, while the BJP will allot only 25. While the offer has not been formally rejected (or formally made), the LJP has made it clear the figure is not acceptable.

Is a Pawan-Kishor alliance is possible? Yes. Is it probable? No.

Both are left-field choices within the larger Bihar political landscape. Yes, it will ensure the LJP contests more seats, but allying with a debutant is unlikely to help Paswan's chief ministerial ambitions.

The majority mark in the Bihar Assembly is 122.

For a potential LJP-Jan Suraaj alliance to wrest that many from the Bharatiya Janata Party, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United, and, from the opposition camp, the Rashtriya Janata Dal led by Tejashwi Yadav, which was the single-largest party in the 2020 election, is a tall order.

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor will make electoral debut with the Jan Suraaj (File).

But what whispers of an alliance with Kishor may do (the LJP will hope) is put just a little more pressure on the BJP in allotting seats. The LJP is reportedly also adamant about getting 'respectable' seats, sources said. Paswan himself told NDTV last month "... I want quality seats".

"But I would not like to disclose those in a public forum. That would be unethical for a coalition partner," he said then, pointing out the BJP-led alliance has not started seat-share talks.

In the theatre that is Indian politics, Paswan also offered allies a veiled warning, telling NDTV 'I am like salt on vegetables... I can affect 20,000 to 25,000 votes in every constituency' and that while he remains a member of the alliance, 'I always have the option of walking out...'

NDTV Exclusive | "Am Like Salt On Vegetables': Paswan's Bihar Warning For BJP

That 'threat' has been downplayed by the BJP; party sources said Paswan remains a loyal support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the posturing is meant to satisfy LJP hardliners.

On the seat-share talks, BJP sources said the decision to delay talks till after poll dates are announced is a strategic move, to stop last-minute defections by leaders who don't get tickets.

Meanwhile, LJP sources also dismissed reports the BJP and JDU agreed to split 200 (of the state's 243 seats) between themselves, leaving only the scraps for the others, including Paswan.

'Did any leader announce this?' sources asked, pointing out also that talks will take place with the BJP and not the Janata Dal United, another indication of friction with Nitish Kumar's party.

But the seat-share talks are only aspect of the multi-layered Paswan-BJP relationship.

Another is the young leader's chief ministerial ambition, of which he has made no secret.

In fact, this morning the LJP shared an 'abki baar, yuva Bihari' poster on X.

The poster hinting at Chirag Paswan as Chief Minister. Image posted on X by @LJP4India

The message was loud and clear as was the contrast - positioning Chirag Paswan as the wily Nitish Kumar's successor (despite the LJP leader having endorsed the latter for the role) while playing on the BJP's own slogan from the Lok Sabha poll last year to underline support for the saffron party.

That message was emphasised by LJP sources saying the focus now is to 'strengthen Chirag Paswan's leadership in Bihar'. The image battle - as critical as votes on paper in politics - the LJP is prepping pits Paswan against the Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav, the opposition's chief ministerial candidate.

It also signals, for now, a clean break from other whispers - of an improbable deal between Paswan and Yadav. In any case that talk never gained currency because a) Paswan would be even more hard-pressed to find leadership space in the opposition camp, with the Congress also around, and b) because there would be even less of a shot at the chief minister's chair.

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