Bihar: To support the I.N.D.I.A bloc, 22 leaders of Chirag Paswan’s LJP quit ahead of PM Modi’s rally

Chirag Paswan was taken aback on Wednesday when twenty-two leaders of his Lok Janshakti Party (Paswan) tendered their resignations. The event occurs a few hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Jamui, Bihar, rally.

Following his resignation as Organisation Secretary of the Lok Janshakti Party, Ravindra Singh accused Paswan of peddling tickets for the Lok Sabha.

“Chirag Paswan and the people of Bihar have engaged in an emotional game…He sold every ticket when he was awarded five seats as a result of our diligent effort.The people of Bihar will respond to him,” he said.

Paswan, an NDA ally, had earlier on March 30 named candidates for each of the five Bihar seats it would be running for. The party president, who has already held the seat twice, will try his luck from Hajipur, the pocket borough of his late father Ram Vilas Paswan, even though Chirag’s brother-in-law Arun Bharti has already submitted nomination papers from Jamui.

According to a statement released by the LJP (Ram Vilas), the party would field Shambhavi Choudhary, Manish Verma, and incumbent MP Veena Devi for the remaining three seats in Samastipur, Khagaria, and Vaishali. The next debutante is Choudhary, the daughter of Ashok Chaudhary, a prominent JD (U) politician and one of the most powerful ministers in the Nitish Kumar administration. Prince Raj, Chirag’s cousin, occupied her seat, which was set aside for Dalits. He sided with Uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras in an uprising that caused the late Paswan’s LJP to splinter.

Verma, who is close to Chirag, has been chosen over the incumbent Member of Parliament, Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser. Kaiser had previously supported Paras but has now shifted his allegiance and is actively campaigning with Chirag in an attempt to win a third term. NDA insiders claim that Verma was selected due to a “broader understanding between coalition partners” to guarantee the Vaishyas, who are BJP supporters, proper representation. Veena Devi, an upper-caste Rajput married to JD (U) MLC Dinesh Kumar Singh, was the first rebel from the LJP to join the Chirag camp.

Bihar will host PM Modi’s launch of the NDA’s Lok Sabha election campaign on Thursday.
On Thursday, PM Modi will hold his first rally in Bihar since the polls’ announcement to launch the NDA’s campaign for the Lok Sabha seat.

Around midday, PM Modi, who is seeking reelection for a third term in power, is expected to speak at the rally in Jamui. Chirag Paswan, a BJP supporter who has twice represented Jamui, a reserved seat, before handing over the reins to brother-in-law Arun Bharti, has been all praise for the prime minister’s generosity.

“That the prime minister has decided to begin his campaign in Bihar from the seat is a source of great pride for the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and the people of Jamui. We are dedicated to supporting him in securing the NDA’s goal of more than 400 seats, including all 40 in Bihar,” said Paswan.

Along with Aurangabad, Gaya, and Nawada, Jamui is one of the four Lok Sabha seats in Bihar that will be up for election in the first round on April 19.