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How political fortunes have turned quickly for Chirag Paswan the son of late Ram Vilas Paswan. From someone who was seen as potential young face of Bihar politics and a likely game changer in the Bihar polls , the rebellion within his party LJP indicates his political career is now at the doldrums.
The sudden move by five of the six LJP MP’s against Chirag and electing Pashupati Kumar Paras, the youngest brother of Paswan’s late father and party founder Ram Vilas Paswan to replace Chirag as LJP leader in Lok Sabha has stunned political pundits. Interestingly, unlike Chirag, Paras pointed out the contrasting opinion within party on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Paras termed Nitish ‘vikas purush’. While Chirag was bitter critic.
In the 2020 assembly Polls, Chirag went ahead and fielded nominees against all JD-U candidates, many of them rebels from the BJP. He had claimed that he wanted to help the BJP and backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi much against the angst of JD(U) and Nitish Kumar.
The JD(U) which was at the receiving end of Chirag’s continuous tirade during the assembly polls reacted to the LJP developments.
JD-U national president RCP Singh replied with a sense of vindication to the developments in the party founded by late Ram Vilas Paswan, whose son has been left cornered in a revolt led by the former’s younger brother Pashupati Kumar Paras and supported by four other MPs, including nephew Prince Raj.
“It is a well known adage that as you sow, so you reap. Chirag Paswan was heading a party which was with the National Democratic Alliance. Yet, he adopted a stance that damaged it in the assembly polls. This led to a sense of unease within his own party,” Singh said.
The new group has already taken charge. And Chirag’s woes have only doubled after Surajbhan Singh was appointed as the National Working President of the LJP party. The party has also given him the charge to conduct elections for the appointment of the party’s national president. Clearly, Chirag Paswan is now against the wall and remains to be seen how he fire fights this political battle that potentially threatens to end his career.
