NEW DELHI/PATNA: Before these polls, Chirag Paswan had described himself as “sabji mein namak” (salt in vegetables), which is essential to any political broth. Winning 19 of the 29 seats his party contested, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief proved his mettle again in Bihar as his performance propelled NDA past the 200-seat mark. What makes the showing more significant is that LJP (RV) has wrested 17 seats from Mahagathbandhan despite talk of discontent around candidate selection. Chirag’s rise in Bihar became evident during seat-sharing talks, when his party got a fair share despite only one of its 143 candidates winning during the 2020 assembly polls. His bargaining power came from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when LJP(RV) won all five seats it fought.
At a time when the fortunes of other Dalit netas like Mayawati and Jitan Ram Manjhi have been on the decline, the son of former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan has emer-ged a prominent face. The victory has also virtually put an end to the claim his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras laid to Paswan senior’s legacy. Though Paras has been claiming that his Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party is part of NDA, the coalition gave a clear signal when it did not give him a single seat. Before his political plunge, Chirag made his Bollywood debut in 2011 with ‘Miley Naa Miley Hum’, starring with Kangana Ranaut. In 2014, he convinced his father to ally with BJP. Chirag’s political journey began in 2014, when he won Jamui Lok Sabha seat. He retained it in 2019 before shifting to his father’s stronghold, Hajipur, in 2024 and becoming a Union minister. The 42-year-old sees a bigger role for himself in 2030. “Whether today or tomorrow, my reason for joining politics will remain the people of Bihar,” he told TOI before the results.