LJP Vs LJP: Pashupati Kumar Paras Elected Unopposed As Party National President

The development comes after five MPs of LJP met Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on Sunday and given him a letter of support to appoint Paras as their floor leader.

Pashupati Kumar Paras. (Image: PTI)

Patna: Pashupati Kumar Paras, brother of late Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, was on Thursday elected unopposed as the national president of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) amid fued with Chirag Paswan. 

The development comes after five MPs of LJP met Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on Sunday and given him a letter of support to appoint Paras as their floor leader in the lower house, replacing Chirag. 

The Lok Sabha Secretariat Monday issued a revised list of floor leaders of parties in a notification in which Paras has been listed as the lader of Lok Janshakti Party. 

Meanwhile, fighting for his survival, Chirag Paswan came down hard on his uncle over the drama in within the party following the coup ousting him as its President. 

While speaking to media, Chirag said that he tried his best to keep the family and the party united but failed, and termed the way in which his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras was elected party leader "illegal".

"Till the end, I tried my best to keep the family and thee party united. I even went to my uncle's house. My mother also tried to speak to uncle. But all went in vain, he said. 

Earlier this week, LJP national executive sacked five party MPs, including Paras, from the party for anti-party activities.

The rift in the LJP has been wide open since Monday after five of the LJP's six MPs --Paras, Prince Raj, Mehboob Ali Kaiser, Veena Devi and Chandan Singh rebeled against Chirag Paswan and removed as leader of the party in Lok Sabha.

Chirag also fired salvo at Janata Dal (United) for engineering the split in his party and rejected the decisions taken by the faction headed by his uncle, saying the party's constitution does not authorise them any such power.

38-year-old MP from Jamui has also contested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's decision to name Paras as the leader of the party in the House, saying it is "contrary" to the constitutional provisions of his organisation.