Chirag Paswan: Ram Vilas' son to be the next Dalit icon of Bihar?

Results of 18th Lok Sabha polls that were out on Tuesday has reflected Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan's capability as a politican as well as being a 'real' political heir of his father Ram Vilas Paswan, who died in 2020.

Chirag Paswan won the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat in Bihar, where he defeated the nearest RJD rival by over 1.70 lakh votes, the Election Commission said. Paswan polled 6.14 lakh votes, while his nearest rival Shiv Chandra Ram got 4.44 lakh votes. Paswan, an NDA partner, gave up Jamui, from where he was enjoying a second consecutive term, to contest from Hajipur, represented by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan eight times.

In 2019, the seat was won by the late leader's younger brother Pashupati Kumar Paras, who had split the LJP in 2021, but resigned from the Union cabinet recently when the BJP announced that it would back his nephew.


On footsteps of Ram Vilas Paswan:
Ram Vilas Paswan was one of the most influential leaders in Bihar politics. The late leader was the face of Dalit empowerment in Bihar. In 1977, Paswan was elected to the Lok Sabha from Hajipur by a record margin. He polled 89% votes and entered the Guinness Book of World Records.

Similary, Chirag contested from his father's seat, taking on pressure to prove his worth. By winning all the five Lok Sabha seats his party was allotted in the NDA alliance, Chirag has not only maintained LJP’s previous track record of keeping 100 per cent strike rate but also established that he is the new Dalit icon on the political landscape of Bihar.

In 2019 polls, LJP under Ram Vilas had won all the six seats that were allotted to the party under the seat-sharing pact. LJP(RV) had fielded its candidates in Hajipur, Vaishali, Samastipur, Khagaria and Jamui. Chirag’s victory is commendable as he fought the polls on his own; his father wasn’t there to guide him and uncle Paras and cousin Prince Raj staying away from the poll campaign.

What will results mean for Chirag Paswan?
In Bihar, Chirag Paswan’s LJP with five seats will also be crucial for the NDA. In the 2020 Assembly elections, the party had parted ways with the NDA and the LJP contested on its own, winning only one seat. Post the election, his uncle, Pashupati Kumar Paras, engineered a coup by breaking away five MPs and joining the NDA. While Paras became a Union minister, Chirag Paswan was left alone and kept working to increase his base. He made a comeback to the NDA before Lok Sabha elections and has now won five seats.

While his five seats remain crucial, Paswan has made it clear that he doesn’t believe in the politics of bargain and will continue to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Behind the scenes, Chirag Paswan may, however, bargain for at least two seats. Since he himself has won from Hajipur, he would also be keen to get a ministerial berth for himself.

(with ToI inputs)