Patna: A day after his party posted one of its strongest performances in the Bihar assembly elections, LJP (Ram Vilas) chief and Union Minister Chirag Paswan said the National Democratic Alliance’s sweeping victory was owed to a united front that prevented a split in votes and shut out the RJD.
Addressing reporters in Patna, Chirag said the LJP (Ram Vilas) had shifted from “zero MLAs in 2020 to 19 MLAs today”, arguing that voters had responded favourably to the party’s return to the NDA fold. “We were not part of the NDA in 2020, which led to a divided alliance and benefitted the RJD. People of Bihar have been rejecting RJD since 2005 as nobody wants the return of Jungleraj. This time, with our party in the NDA, people showed full-fledged support. RJD has been completely routed; their M-Y formula has fallen flat,” he said.
Chirag noted that the party was allotted 16 seats where the NDA had lost in the previous election, yet its candidates won all of them—and three more. “I am proud of our strong candidates who secured victory in all those seats,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Chirag met chief minister Nitish Kumar to congratulate him on the NDA’s performance. Discussions, he said, also touched upon the formation of the next government. Asked whether Nitish would return as chief minister, Chirag said the decision rested with the newly elected legislators but added: “I personally vouch for Nitish ji being the CM again.”
The NDA’s victory marks a significant political recovery for Chirag, who has sought to reassert his position within the alliance after the LJP split and a poor showing in 2020.
