Chirag Paswan: The Political Journey from Bihar to Becoming a Cabinet Minister

Chirag Paswan‘s entry into the political arena after the demise of his father, Ram Vilas Paswan, marked a significant turn in Bihar‘s political landscape. Leading his party, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), in the state’s assembly elections for the first time in 2020, Chirag challenged both Janata Dal United (JDU) and Nitish Kumar.

Despite facing setbacks, Chirag managed to secure a seat in the Lok Sabha elections. Shortly after the results, a rift emerged within the LJP, and in early 2021, Chirag’s uncle, Pashupati Kumar Paras, along with four MPs, joined the Modi government.

This move pushed Chirag into political obscurity, as he not only parted ways with the BJP but also saw the party symbol slipping into the hands of the Paras faction. In a direct stance against Nitish and JDU, Chirag directly held them responsible for dividing his party.

During this time, BJP also refrained from supporting Chirag due to political calculations. Despite various challenges, Chirag mirrored loyalty towards Narendra Modi and declared himself as ‘Hanuman’ of the Prime Minister, which kept the BJP’s doors open for him.

Chirag embarked on a journey across Bihar with his Ashirwad Yatra, resonating with the Dalit voters who considered him to be the true successor of Ram Vilas Paswan. When PM Modi penned a heartfelt letter to Chirag on Paswan’s first death anniversary, the doors of the NDA once again opened for him.

Although critics argue that Chirag holds sway over only 5% of the Paswan community’s votes in Bihar, his victories on all five seats contested by his party and winning against Lalu Yadav‘s RJD candidate on his own seat affirm his political maturity. He secured a victory against Lalu Yadav’s RJD candidate by a significant margin of 1.7 lakh votes.

Analysing the results of the 2020 assembly elections reveals that Chirag inflicted considerable losses on BJP and JDU by contesting 54 seats. JDU could secure only 43 out of the 70 contested seats. Thus, Chirag showcased his ability to make significant shifts in Bihar’s politics.