Union Minister Chirag Paswan appears to be charting a decisive shift from national to state politics, sparking intense speculation about his ambitions in Bihar. With his party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), actively promoting him as a potential candidate in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections—and notably from a general seat—political circles are abuzz: Is Chirag aiming for the Chief Minister’s chair, or using this as leverage in seat-sharing talks with the BJP?
The speculation gained ground after LJP(R) MP and Chirag’s brother-in-law, Arun Bharti, posted on social media that party workers want Chirag to contest a general seat to project himself beyond a Dalit leader and emerge as a leader for all of Bihar.
Chirag, currently serving as Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, confirmed his desire to return to Bihar politics.
“I never saw myself in national politics for long. My vision has always been ‘Bihar First, Bihari First’. That’s where I belong, and that’s where I want to bring change,” Chirag said.
🏛️ CM Ambition or Political Pressure?
Despite publicly backing Nitish Kumar as NDA’s CM face for the next elections, Chirag’s moves suggest deeper political calculations. Though he said,
“There is no vacancy for the CM post. Nitish Kumar will be CM after the elections,”
party insiders and observers suspect otherwise.
Some view Chirag’s assertiveness as a pressure tactic on the BJP, especially regarding seat-sharing negotiations. LJP(R)’s 100% success rate in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, winning all five seats it contested, has bolstered Chirag’s confidence and bargaining power. With a solid 6% Dalit vote share—mainly from the influential Paswan community—he may be eyeing a bigger slice of the NDA pie.
The BJP has already declared Nitish Kumar as the face of the alliance, but political insiders speculate that the party might be quietly positioning Chirag as a backup CM candidate due to Nitish’s declining health and shrinking popularity.
The 2020 assembly elections offer precedent: LJP(R) exited NDA and fielded over 130 candidates—mostly against JDU—contributing to JDU’s worst-ever performance. It was widely believed that this move had tacit BJP backing, aimed at weakening Nitish’s grip on Bihar.
With BJP now the dominant NDA partner and Nitish politically weakened, Chirag could emerge as a natural successor if the CM post falls vacant after the election—even if indirectly or later into the term.
