The Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has finalised a seat-sharing deal with the BJP as part of the NDA in Bihar. Taking to social media platform X, Jamui MP Chirag Paswan said that the division of the seats will be announced soon.
The decision on the seats to be contested by the LJP (RV) as part of the NDA was taken at a meeting with BJP president JP Nadda.
The LJP split into two in 2021. While one faction sided with Ram Vilas Paswan's son Chirag, the other backed the LJP founder's brother Pashupati Paras. Both factions are now part of the BJP-led NDA.
ALSO READ | NDA Seat-Sharing In Bihar: With LJP Split, Will NDA Stick To 2019 Formula For Lok Sabha Polls 2024?
Chirag Paswan is the lone Lok Sabha MP from the LJP (RV) at present. The other faction, named Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, has five MPs, including Paras. The other MPs are Veena Devi (Vaishali), Prince Raj (Samastipur), Mehboob Ali Qaisar (Khagaria), and Chandan Singh (Nawada).
Paras is the incumbent MP from Hajipur, a seat that has been a bone of contention between the uncle-nephew duo. Both staked a claim to the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat that was once the bastion of LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan. He won the seat 8 times in his political career.
The suspense is now building over the seat with the legacy of Ram Vilas Paswan. It remains to be seen whom the BJP has managed to convince to back off from Hajipur.
Sources, though, said Chirag has been offered five seats, including Hajipur. He has also been offered a ministerial berth in Bihar. Pashupati Paras's RLJP has not been given any seat in the NDA equation for Lok Sabha polls 2024, but has been offered a Governor's post. However, there has been no confirmation on the details yet.
(With inputs from Neeraj Pandey.)