Nitish Kumar met Chirag Paswan in Patna today.
Patna:
Chirag Paswan, back in favor of the BJP, today met his old political rival, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The public meeting, which took place after more than three years, was seen as a kind of icebreaker, expressing hope for a better relationship as allies.
The meeting, inevitable after the BJP’s open acceptance of Mr Paswan, was brokered by Sanjay Jha, the chief minister’s close aide, and two key leaders of the BJP – Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Health Minister Mangal Pandey – sources said.
The 30-minute meeting, which took place at Mr Kumar’s official residence in Patna, was as much about optics as it was about a smoother working relationship.
In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Lok Janshakti Party will contest on 5 seats, far below JD(U)’s 16 seats.
The past four years have seen bitter disagreement between the two parties, which started with Chirag Paswan’s contest against Mr Kumar’s Janata Dal United in the 2020 parliamentary elections. Then in 2021, there was a rift in his party, the Mr Kumar’s breakup with the BJP and a return to the NDA in less than two years.
While Chirag Paswan is said to be upset over the Prime Minister’s alleged disregard of his father, another section claims that Mr Paswan’s father, former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, was grooming his son to step into Mr Kumar’s shoes. future.
Overnight, Chirag Paswan’s comments on Nitish Kumar became sharper. Until recently, Mr Kumar has said publicly that Chirag Paswan “treats me very insultingly”.
Paswan, meanwhile, contested the 2020 assembly elections solo. This move, JD(U) alleged, gobbled up votes and led to Kumar leaving his dominant position in the state alliance.
After the death of Ram Vilas Paswan, the LJP split in a fight over his legacy.
Many felt that it was orchestrated by Mr Kumar with the help of the BJP, which backed Chirag Paswan’s rebel uncle Pashupati Paras and even gave him a cabinet berth.
But during the seat-sharing exercise for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the BJP made its change of stand clear and struck a deal with the Chirag Paswan faction of the LJP.