
- Pashupati Paras' RLJP has said it will contest directly against Chirag Paswan's LJP in the Bihar poll
- Paras, earlier part of the BJP-led NDA, quit over estranged ties, and the RLJP said it wil 'crush' the LJP
- Separately, Paswan's seat-share talks with the BJP rumble on unresolved; he wants 40, the BJP is offering 25
Battle lines have been shifted (again) in the Paswan family after Pashupati Paras' party vowed to 'crush' his nephew Chirag Paswan in the Bihar Assembly election next month.
The about-face came 72 hours after Paras cautiously endorsed the younger leader; "nothing could be a matter of more joy than my nephew grabbing the 'throne of Bihar'," he said, before slipping in a caveat, "... but the power to make someone the Chief Minister rests entirely with the people of Bihar."
But now, Paras' Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party - miffed by the Congress-led INDIA bloc delaying alliance talks - said it will field candidates against each declared by Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party.
The announcement came Wednesday night after senior RLJP leaders met in Patna.
"... we will ensure the crushing defeat of all candidates fielded by Chirag (Paswan). To achieve this objective, the RLJP will field candidates in all seats the LJP will be contest," the party said.
RLJP sources told news agency PTI the Paswan announcement had been 'forced... because of the delay in inducting our party into the INDIA bloc and announcing a seat-sharing formula.'
'We hardly have time left. Filing of nominations commences day after tomorrow.'
Sources said Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav - widely seen as the opposition's chief ministerial face, although the Congress continues to dispute that - had spoken of a deal with Paras.
READ | 'Tejashwi? Let Us See': Congress Leader's Reply On Bihar Chief Minister
But with no progress on that front, and even the Jharkhand ruling party, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, higher up the pecking order, an irked RLJP is ready to walk away.
'We still hope Yadavji will act in time...' a senior RLJP leader told PTI.
Animosity between Paras and Paswan runs back to the death of Ram Vilas Paswan - the former's brother and the latter's son - in October 2020. Paswan's death triggered a power struggle between uncle and nephew the younger Paswan, an actor-turned-politician.
Round 1 seemed to go to the uncle after he forced a split of the larger LJP and secured a union minister's post. But ahead of last year's central election, the advantage swung back after the Bharatiya Janata Party picked Paswan and his LJP, now the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
READ | Union Minister Resigns Over BJP-Nephew Chirag Paswan Deal
Paras then quit the government and withdrew from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, sparking talk of a deal with the opposition - a deal that, over a year later, has still to fructify and which looks even less likely now, given the number of opposition parties clamouring for seats.
Targeting Paswan seems to be a tacit acknowledgement by the RLJP - that its best shot at success is to disrupt him, by eating into his vote share and making it difficult for the BJP to win the support of the Paswan community, who account for six per cent of the state's population.
Paras and the RLJP will not ally with the BJP for this election, that much is certain. As early as April he said "I was with the BJP since 2014. But from today, there will be no relation..."
READ | Pashupati Paras Breaks Ties With NDA, To Contest Bihar Polls Alone
Chirag Paswan, meanwhile, is potentially more focused on maximising the allocation of seats for his party. The LJP is pushing the BJP to give him 40 seats for next month's election, and has been posturing aggressively to hit that mark, including flirting with Prashant Kishor and his Jan Suraaj.
Kishor, though, has ruled out any deal with Chirag Paswan.
The BJP is reportedly willing to give Paswan - boosted by a 100 per cent strike rate (five contested, five won) in the Lok Sabha poll - only 25 seats. The national party has also downplayed talk Paswan will also walk out; sources told NDTV the hard bargaining is meant to satisfy LJP hardliners.
Voting for the Bihar election will be held over two phases - November 6 and 11 - and the results will be declared three days later, on November 14. The ruling BJP-Janata Dal United alliance, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and with Paswan and smaller parties beside them, is expected to edge out the opposition Mahagathbandhan, which is fronted by the RJD and the Congress.
With input from agencies
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