Ram Vilas Paswan: Bihar's 'Kingmaker' Who Went On To Be The Foremost Dalit Leader At The Centre

The death of Paswan who began his political career from Bihar, can render an emotive touch to the Bihar state assembly polls, as his son heads the party founded by him.

Ram Vilas Paswan - Union Minister In Modi 2.0 government, Lok Jan Shakti Party founder and a towering political figure in both Bihar and national landscape, passed away after prolonged illness on Thursday night. Paswan’s death comes at an inopportune time as for his 37-year-old son Chirag Paswan,  is now heading the party his father founded in 2000 in the crucial Bihar polls. The death of Paswan who began his political career from Bihar, can have a huge impact on the state assembly polls. It can add an emotive touch and may also spark an upsurge of support for his scion among his party's supporters and sympathisers. Paswan was elected to the Bihar state legislative assembly in 1969 as a member of the Samyukta Socialist Party ("United Socialist Party") from a reserved constituency. Influenced by Jayaprakash Narayan Later, Paswan joined Lok Dal upon its formation in 1974, and became its general secretary. His emergence was as a member of an anti-Congress front after quitting his job as a police official, he rose through the ranks of various socialist parties, which changed forms with a periodic interval, and became a leading Dalit face. Born in Khagaria in Bihar in 1946, Paswan was elected to Lok Sabha eight times and was currently a Rajya Sabha member. His death brings the curtains downs on yet another leading socialist politician associated with the anti-Emergency movement of 1975-77. He opposed the emergency, and was arrested during this period. He entered the Lok Sabha in 1977, as a Janata Party member from Hajipur constituency, was chosen again in 1980, 1989, 1996 and 1998, 1999, 2004, and 2014. Paswan’s work in the direction of upliftment of the oppressed and the weaker sections holds high significance. He was one of the key ministers in the V P Singh government, which came to power in 1989, and pushed for implementing the Mandal Commission report, which recommended reservation for other backward classes, upending the pivot of politics, especially in Hindi-speaking states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh forever. Paswan made several switches in his allegiances and was at times mocked as 'mausam vaigyanik' (weatherman) for his skill to navigate his ways into an alliance that would eventually come to power after elections. Ram Vilas Paswan believed in making friends and investing in relationships and took pride in describing himself as a cementing force among, at times, warring allies. (inputs from agencies)