LJP pushes for Chirag Paswan, Upendra Kushwaha warns of fallout

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New Delhi: The smaller allies of the NDA in Bihar are gearing up for the upcoming assembly elections. On Sunday, LJP (RV) once again reiterated that party leader and Union minister Chirag Paswan should contest the assembly elections.This time, the party went a step ahead with LJP leader Arun Bharti posting on X that "when the leader is from entire Bihar, then why should the scope of the seat be limited? The workers also feel that this time Chirag Paswan ji should not contest the Bihar assembly elections from a reserved seat but from a general seat. Chirag Paswan is now the hope of the entire Bihar, not just one community."Chirag Paswan, however, refrained from commenting on the resolution passed by the party. A few days ago, after meeting Nitish Kumar in Patna, Paswan said he would work to make Nitish Kumar CM once again. But this regular feeder from the party indicates that something is being planned for him.On June 8, Paswan will address a Bahujan rally in Arrah, Bihar. Party leaders told ET that Paswan is trying to widen his reach among the entire Dalit community rather than being limited to Paswans.Bharti has pressed for Chirag's acceptance among all castes and the party is projecting him as the universally accepted leader.Rashtriya Lok Morcha leader Upendra Kushwaha is also holding a huge rally on June 8 in Muzaffarpur. Kushwaha termed the rally as a 'Samvaidhanik Adhikar- Parisiman Sudhar' (Constitutional Rights - Delimitation Reform) rally. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Kushwaha contested as an NDA candidate from Karakat but lost. Later, he said a section of NDA supporters didn't back him during the election. On Sunday, while addressing a meeting in Patna, Kushwaha warned NDA parties and workers."If Upendra Kushwaha sinks, you will also sink because we are all in the same boat," he said."If a mistake has been made in the past everyone should be vigilant that the same mistake doesn't get repeated. NDA workers need to be united," Kushwaha told ET.Talking about the June 8 rally, Kushwaha said he will raise the demand for delimitation which is a constitutional right.

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