From 1 to 19: Chirag Paswan’s LJP (RS) posts 1800% surge, becomes NDA’s extra edge

Patna: The Bihar Assembly election has handed a decisive victory to the National Democratic Alliance, and a significant share of that edge has come from a party once considered a gamble within the coalition. While the BJP and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) have led the NDA’s sweep, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has emerged as the alliance’s additional force with a confirmed tally of 19 seats.

With the final count complete, the LJP (RV) finished with a strike rate of 68 per cent. The party’s 19-seat haul marks an extraordinary leap from its lone seat in 2020, amounting to an increase of about 1800 per cent in its representation. The outcome has strengthened the NDA’s overall performance and pushed the alliance comfortably beyond the 200-seat mark in the 243-member Assembly.

The NDA’s allocation of 29 constituencies to the LJP (RV) had drawn attention during seat-sharing talks, particularly since its two other smaller partners, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, received six seats each. The LJP (RV) was given constituencies such as Govindganj, Simri Bakhtiarpur, Darauli, Garkha, Sahebpur Kamal, Bakhri, Parbatta, Nathnagar, Paliganj, Brahmapur, Dehri, Balrampur, Makhdumpur, Obra, Sugauli, Belsand, Marhaura, Sherghati, Bodhgaya, Rajauli, Govindpur, Bochha, Bakhtiarpur, Fatuha, Bahadurganj, Mahua, Chenari, Maner and Kasba.

The party ultimately contested 28 seats. Its candidate in Marhaura, Seema Singh, was unable to enter the fray after her nomination was rejected. The LJP (RV) did not replace her, and the NDA extended support to independent candidate Ankit Kumar in that constituency.

The party’s strong performance comes four years after its split from the original Lok Janshakti Party. In 2021, a leadership confrontation between Chirag Paswan and his uncle, Pashupati Kumar Paras, fractured the LJP. Paswan’s faction was renamed the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) in memory of his father, Ram Vilas Paswan, who died in 2020. Paras went on to lead the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party.

The LJP’s earlier record had seen highs and steep declines. Founded in 2000 by Ram Vilas Paswan, the party made a strong entry in the February 2005 Bihar election, winning 29 of 178 contested seats. Its tally dropped to 10 seats in the October 2005 re-election, then fell to three seats in 2010 and two in 2015. In 2020, despite being an NDA ally at the national level, it contested 134 seats independently, winning only one but inflicting significant losses on the JD(U).

For Chirag Paswan, the 19-seat success marks a pivotal moment. His party’s showing has improved his stature in the NDA and strengthened his equation with the BJP leadership. Paswan has often described himself as “Hanuman” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The result is also expected to expand his influence within Bihar’s political arena and could lay the foundation for a future contest with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav when the state returns to the polls in 2030.