Union Minister Chirag Paswan has indicated that he might contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, primarily focusing on improving the strike rate of his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). He clarified that his intention is not to vie for the Chief Minister’s position. The strike rate is a key metric, indicating the percentage of seats won relative to the total seats contested. Paswan believes that a better strike rate for his party would be beneficial for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). During a press conference, the MP from Hajipur dismissed any speculation that he is aiming for the Chief Minister’s post, also expressing concern over attempts to create divisions within the alliance. He stated that his party’s parliamentary board will decide on his participation in the election. He also mentioned that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has often deployed its top leaders in state elections. The Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled for the end of this year. Paswan explicitly stated that any participation on his part would be solely to enhance his party’s strike rate, which, in turn, would support the NDA. He expressed his disapproval of the attempts to portray him as someone aiming for the Chief Minister’s chair. In the 2020 Assembly elections, Paswan’s actions, then representing the Lok Janshakti Party, impacted the number of seats won by the Janata Dal-United (JDU). He currently predicts that the NDA, led by Nitish Kumar, will form the strongest government in Bihar after the elections. The Union Minister also announced that his party will commence its election campaign with a rally in Arrah, the district headquarters of Bhojpur, on Sunday. There is speculation that Chirag may choose to contest from a constituency in the Shahabad region, which includes Bhojpur and surrounding districts. The Union Minister didn’t reveal his plans, but said that more rallies are planned before the elections, each covering five to six districts.
