As seat-sharing talks gain pace in Bihar’s ruling NDA ahead of the Assembly elections, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Chirag Paswan has reportedly set one condition. Paswan has insisted on seats that have “100 per cent strike rate”, according to local media reports.
Speculations are that Paswan, the current Union Minister for Food Processing, has informed the JD(U) and BJP leadership that he prefers “quality over quantity”. “Just like in the Lok Sabha elections, I would like to field candidates in seats where I can give a 100 percent strike rate. I had 100 percent in the Lok Sabha and want to retain that in the Assembly too. The numbers don’t matter to me, but I want seats that are 100 per cent winnable. I believe seat allocation should be based on this," Paswan made this statement in a conversation with a YouTube channel.
During the recent Lok Sabha elections, the LJP had five seats, including the one Paswan contested from. His party won all five, which proved instrumental in the NDA’s performance in Bihar. His stellar performance adds weight to his claims in the Assembly elections, too.
The state has 243 Assembly seats. The NDA comprises five parties, and all wish to contest as many seats as possible. As per sources, the latest NDA seat-sharing figures indicate that out of 243 seats, the JDU is expected to contest 102-103, the BJP 101-102, the LJP 25-28, HAM (Jitan Ram Manjhi's party) 6-7, and RLM (Upendra Kushwaha's party) 4-5.
Paswan has also not shied away from portraying himself as the CM face in Bihar. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Chirag Paswan revealed his thoughts about his supporters portraying him as the CM face, stating there was “nothing wrong with that”. “What's wrong with that? Every party worker should have such a sentiment," he added.
Paswan, son of former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, said he wanted his father to not only become the Chief Minister of Bihar but also the Prime Minister. “Every party worker should have this desire, and it's natural. If this desire isn't there, then the leader should introspect as to why members of his party don't harbor these ambitions. And I'm talking about every party and organization, big or small. I respect this sentiment,” he told NDTV.