Two Paswans plus Nitish with it now, BJP tries to work out a please-all equation, with one eye on RJD

Rumours that Tejashwi has offered Chirag 8 LS seats adds urgency to BJP moves; the one who may gain the least is uncle Paswan

Sources said that the BJP is weighing what to do now.

ITS FLURRY of tie-ups and induction of leaders from other parties would eventually have led to the situation the the BJP finds itself facing in Bihar: a problem of plenty. Having signed up with the JD(U), it now has to not just find a way to keep Chirag Paswan and his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) happy, but also his estranged uncle by its side.

Jamui MP Chirag Paswan was the BJP’s most important and steadfast ally in the state before CM and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar returned to the NDA with a bang in January. Realising that he had been pushed down the pecking order, the RJD has reportedly acted quickly and offered Chirag eight Lok Sabha seats should he switch sides to the Mahagathbandhan. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s offer is at least two more than the maximum Chirag can expect from the BJP.

Sources said that the BJP is weighing what to do now. While some are of the view that it is nothing but a pressure tactic by Chirag to wrest a larger share of seats for his party, his base of 6-7% votes across the state means taking a chance could prove risky.

An RJD leader said: “Chirag and Tejashwi share great mutual respect. We have always had a standing offer for him. It is his call. After all, Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan shared great political ties.”

Apart from Chirag, the BJP also has to placate his uncle, Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras, who heads the National Lok Janshakti Party (NLJP), and is also an NDA ally. Both Paras and Pashupati claim to be the real inheritors of Paswan’s political legacy.

A BJP leader admitted: “In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, we won 39 out of 40 seats in Bihar with the LJP and the JD(U) as our allies. This is a winning combination. We can’t afford to disturb it, but our challenge is how and where to accommodate Paras. For one, Chirag is insistent on contesting the Hajipur seat that is represented by Paras.”

Chirag has left none in doubt that he sees Hajipur as synonymous with his father, and that Paras lost claim to it when he split to form his own party. Paras, in turn, says that as Ram Vilas’s brother, he is the real claimant of his political legacy, with Chirag merely being the biological heir.

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Chirag had met BJP national president J P Nadda last week, a BJP leader said, adding that they hope the dispute will be resolved soon. There is talk that Paras could be asked to contest from Samastipur, currently represented by Chirag’s cousin Prince Raj.

This would mean that in the battle between the nephew and uncle, the BJP’s money seems to be on Chirag, who as a young, articulate voice can be a counter to Tejashwi. Paras, on the other hand, is not seen as enjoying much traction, nor is he seen much on the ground.

Both BJP and LJP sources say the deal that could finally be reached is the offer of 5 Lok Sabha seats and a Rajya Sabha constituency to Chirag, which would be 1 lesser than 2019, when the united LJP had won all the 6 in its share, and Ram Vilas Paswan had got elected to the Rajya Sabha.

Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More