Chirag Paswan on Bihar poll plans: 'I am not in race for Deputy CM'

Chirag Paswan

Union cabinet minister and LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan categorically denied speculations that he is deliberately contesting the upcoming Bihar elections with an eye on the post of deputy chief minister.

In an exclusive interview to News 18, the LJP (RV) chief reiterated that he is not lured by any political post as he has seen power from a very close quarter at a tender age.

Explaining the rationale behind his decision to go back to the state, Paswan said: "I had expressed my wish that I want to go back to my state because this is my third term as a member of Parliament and over the past 11 years, I have realised that the kind of vision that I have for my state -- Bihar first, Bihari first-- is not possible (to achieve) living in Delhi."

Additionally, Paswan said we have seen these experiments by the BJP, where they have fielded their MPs and even their central ministers for state elections, which really benefitted them. So, I have asked for a survey to analyze whether me contesting is beneficial for the party and for the alliance.

The 42-year-old son of LJP founder and former minister took everyone by surprise by his recent announcement that he wished to contest the Bihar assembly elections later this year. For the first time, his Lok Janshakti Party will contest in a pre-poll alliance with the ruling Janata Dal United (JDU). While Paswan’s party has no presence in the current assembly, his party won all five seats it contested in last year’s general elections.

Recalling the issues he experienced during 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he said: "I’ll not shy away from the fact there were a lot of differences between me and my chief minister, which were resolved before I got back into the alliance. In a way, I felt cornered in that alliance immediately after the (2019) Lok Sabha election. I felt that I was ignored. Also, that was the time when my father was not very well. And I do understand that at that time they must have thought that I was not that important."

Speaking about his gameplan for the upcoming polls, he emphasised:  "I would love to work on issues concerning unemployment, development, better infrastructure development. These are the topics that need to be addressed, discussed. Because I want to tell the people of my state how Bihar was in the 90s, during their tenure."

Explaining why any comparison with other states may not be adequate, Paswan added: "Because right now what is happening is that my CM has been in the state for almost two decades now and the instant comparison that the first-time voters do, is with different states. They look at Delhi, Mumbai,and say it is so developed, why not Bihar? Because they don’t know how Bihar was. I have seen that era ."