Chirag Paswan, a prominent Lok Sabha member from Jamui and leader of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas faction), has suggested that his mother, Reena Paswan, be fielded as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate for the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming Bihar elections. The announcement has triggered a debate within the alliance and added an emotional resonance to the contest, given that Hajipur was the political stronghold of Chirag’s late father, Ram Vilas Paswan.
Hajipur Lok Sabha seat, which Ram Vilas Paswan represented nine times, witnessed a change in the 2019 elections when Chirag Paswan’s estranged uncle and Union Minister, Pashupati Kumar Paras, contested and emerged victorious. Following Ram Vilas Paswan’s demise in 2020, the Lok Janshakti Party experienced a split, with Paras now heading the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party.
Chirag Paswan asserted that his mother holds the primary claim to contest from Hajipur due to the family’s deep-rooted connection with the constituency. He explained, “As the sitting MP, it is natural for him (Paras) to stake claim to the seat. But for us, Hajipur has an emotional pull. I consider the land as my mother. In the absence of my father, it is natural for me that I take care of the constituency the way my late father did in his lifetime… A final decision is yet to be taken within the alliance (NDA) on seat sharing and candidature. But I want my mother (Reena Paswan) to contest from there (Hajipur). After my father, she has the first claim on that seat.”
The two factions of the Lok Janshakti Party are part of the NDA coalition. In the 2019 elections, the united LJP secured six Lok Sabha seats in Bihar as an NDA constituent. Paras, on the other hand, has maintained that his decision to contest from Hajipur was influenced by his late brother Ram Vilas Paswan, who viewed him as his “political heir.”
While the dispute unfolds within the NDA, Chirag Paswan, during a recent gathering in Jamui, affirmed his commitment to his political journey. “I came here as a youngster and will be here till I grow old,” he declared, having won the seat for the first time in 2014.
Bihar BJP spokesperson Prem Ranjan Patel expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved within the NDA. “NDA is united, and any issue within the alliance will be sorted. As far as LJP is concerned, it is their internal issue, and we are confident they will also resolve the issue before elections.”
As the call for Reena Paswan’s candidacy reverberates, the contest for the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat assumes not only political significance but also carries a deeply personal undertone in the legacy of the Paswan family.
Sources By Agencies
