After BJP’s Attack, Chirag Paswan Says LJP Won’t Field Candidates against Saffron Party

Hours after the BJP accused Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Chirag Paswan of trying to create a confusion by harping on his equations with senior leaders of the saffron party, the latter said he will not field candidates against the BJP in the upcoming polls.

Paswan has been lauding the BJP and its top leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, while attacking JD(U) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, giving rise to speculation that he has some tacit understanding with the saffron party.

On the BJP’s accusations of the LJP leader seeking votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Paswan said, “I don’t need to use PM Modi’s photos for campaigning. He lives in my heart, I am his Hanuman. If needed, I will tear open my chest and show it.”

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar earlier on Friday alleged that Paswan is “trying to mislead people” and called the LJP a “vote-cutter”.

“Chirag Paswan has chosen a separate path in Bihar. Now he is trying to mislead people by taking names of senior BJP leaders,” Javadekar said, adding that the BJP does not have “any B or C or D team”. He went on to say that Chirag Paswan’s LJP, which decided to go solo in the state, will be reduced to a “vote-cutter party”.

Responding to Javadekar’s “vote-cutter” comment, Paswan said, “I am disappointed at the BJP’s language.”

The LJP has been locked in an acrimonious war of words with JD(U), with its ally reportedly upset about the BJP not attacking the LJP.

The BJP is contesting on 121 of the total 243 seats in Bihar and JD(U) on 122 seats. The JD (U) and the BJP were expected to accommodate the Hindustani Awam Morcha and the Vikassheel Insaan Party respectively, from its quota of seats.

On October 7, the BJP had allocated 11 seats to the Vikassheel Insaan Party from its quota.

The 243-member Bihar Assembly will go to the polls in three phases — on October 28, November 3 and 7 — and the results will be announced on November 10.