BIHAR: PASWAN JR COMES OF AGE
Chirag Paswan has big shoes to fill as he takes over the reins of the LJP in Bihar
On September 24, when Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan made son Chirag Paswan, 36, party in-charge of home base Bihar (the party won all six Lok Sabha seats it contested in 2019), the decision seemed par for the course. A Dalit dynast picking his only son to head his party elicited little surprise. But those in the know say there is more to it than meets the eye.
Over the years, Paswan Sr has always had an uncanny ability to emerge on the winning side, a talent which earned him a place in the cabinet of six prime ministers. But even he attributes his political revival in 2014 and successes since to Chirag’s “foresight”. He says it was Chirag who persuaded him to move from the UPA to
the NDA camp on the eve of the 2014 general election. Many had thought the LJP was a spent force by then, having failed to win a single Lok Sabha seat in 2009 and doing dismally in the 2010 Bihar assembly election (the party won just three seats). Chirag’s assessment proved decisive for the LJP. The party won six out of seven Lok Sabha seats it contested in 2014 and all six in this year’s general election.
The decision to let Chirag take over the party’s state unit also comes at a crucial juncture as Bihar is set to witness assembly polls next year. Already, the junior Paswan has shown that he is not one to dither over tough decisions. At a time when a handful of BJP leaders have come out in open revolt against ally and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, who heads the NDA government in Bihar, the LJP has come out in his support, asserting that Nitish “is and will remain the NDA face in Bihar”.
“There is no alternative to Nitish Kumar in Bihar. The LJP accepts him as NDA leader in the state,” Chirag has said. The LJP’s support is crucial in more than one way. Chirag has reciprocated Nitish’s gesture of backing Paswan Sr for a Rajya Sabha seat. Going by the Lok Sabha poll results, the JD(U) and LJP together have a significant 30 per cent vote share, a good enough reason for the BJP to not upset the applecart.
So, is Chirag ready to take over the party from his father? Waxing eloquent, Chirag likened the fatherson relationship to the one between the sun and the moon: “He will always be the source of my energy and existence.” The LJP is planning a rally in the state on November 28, its foundation day, to celebrate Chirag’s anointment.
For decades, Paswan Sr, with his constant 6.5 per cent vote bank, has remained the best known Dalit face in Bihar, a state where the community has sizeable numbers. Chirag may be taking over officially, but his job won’t be easy. His father leaves a sizeable legacy, the young Dalit leader will have to labour to preserve that. ■