PATNA: Union minister and LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan on Friday created a flutter in Bihar's political circles by hinting that he would contest the upcoming assembly elections due in October-November.
Talking to the media in Vaishali district, Chirag said, “If my party is ready, I am ready to contest the assembly elections. It is conducting a survey in different assembly constituencies. Both my party and the NDA will benefit if I contest the election.”
“It is not a pretence; my party is giving serious thought to the matter. It is not only a matter of personal ambition, but part of the broader strategy of the LJP (RV) and NDA. My party will be able to win more seats if I contest the assembly elections, helping the NDA too. My party wants to improve its strike rate in the assembly elections and there are several instances when it has been seen that any senior leader of the party contesting elections leaves an impact on the entire organisation,” he added.
The party is currently conducting a survey to select the seat from where Chirag will contest. Once the survey report comes, he (Chirag) will officially announce from where he will contest the assembly election, an LJP(RV) functionary revealed. Chirag has already made it clear that he is not aspiring to become chief minister of the state as there is no vacancy for the post.
In the 2020 assembly elections, Chirag had contested separately and not as a constituent of NDA. He had also fielded party candidates against JD (U) candidates, relegating chief minister Nitish Kumar’s party to the third position in the seat tally.
Earlier, LJP (RV) MP from Jamui and Chirag’s brother-in-law Arun Bharti had revealed that the party had sent a proposal to Chirag to contest the assembly elections. If he agrees, a seat will be decided for him, he added.