- Chirag Paswan avoided directly addressing his chief ministerial ambitions in Bihar
- He said he could not contest in Bihar polls this time due to lengthy negotiations
- Paswan asserted he would contest from Bihar in the 2030 elections
Does Chirag Paswan have chief ministerial ambitions? The Union minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) chief chose diplomacy to answer the question, trying to skirt around the domain that has been exclusive to Nitish Kumar, Bihar's longest-serving chief minister. Speaking to NDTV days before the second-phase voting for the Bihar assembly elections, he said the top post in the state has not been vacant thus far this year.
"The Chief Minister's post has never been vacant in 2025. I respect the sentiments of party workers. I agree that they must aspire to see their leader in the topmost post. If your worker doesn't believe you can reach the top post, then you have failed to motivate them. I always wanted my father Ram Vilas Paswan ji to become the Prime Minister," said the 43-year-old leader, carrying a massive political legacy.
Paswan opened up on why he wanted to contest from Bihar, something that he said was necessary if one wants to push the 'Bihar First, Bihari First' approach, which is central to his campaign. He also shared what stopped him from taking the electoral plunge.
"Being a three-time MP, I have understood that I am 'Bihar first, Bihari first'. I can't do it from Delhi. I must contest from Bihar. But the negotiations took very long this time. If the negotiations were done with a little earlier, I would have contested from Bihar," he said, asserting that he will "definitely contest in 2030 (from Bihar)."
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Asked if he aspires for the chief ministerial post in 2030, he said that his priorities are the elections that precede the 2030 Bihar polls.
"I don't know what the future holds. But I first cross a level and then decide on the next strategy. My immediate priorities after the Bihar elections are the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab polls in 2027. Then in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, I want to see my prime minister get elected for the fourth time. And then we will focus on 2030," said Paswan.
There has been a buzz this time that 74-year-old Nitish Kumar could be dropped, with his JD(U) now playing a junior role to the BJP. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda clarified the matter at the eleventh hour and endorsed Kumar as the NDA's chief ministerial face.
Sharing his analysis of the first phase of voting, Paswan asserted that the NDA will return to power with an all-time high performance. This is because the NDA is united this time, whereas the opposition camp lies divided, plagued by friendly fights and concerns of vote splitting, said the LJP chief.
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He also shared his views on another young leader, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, becoming the face of the Opposition. Taking a jibe at the RJD heir apparent, he alleged that he got the position after issuing threats to his own allies.
"There should be spontaneity in an alliance. What's the point of being declared the chief minister face using threats? Look at Mukesh Sahani, the deputy face. Has he sent a good message to his community? His supporters saw it all, how much he had to fight to become the chief minister's face," he said, claiming that Rahul Gandhi wasn't initially on the same page and gave in only after threats from the RJD camp.
Accusing the RJD leader of being self-centered, he pointed out the opposition's posters carry only Yadav's photo, sidelining even national-level leaders in the alliance. "Check out our ads, all the leaders are seen together. For them, it's only Tejashwi ji and no other national-level Congress leader. This demoralises the workers," he added.
