Chirag Paswan’s ‘Salt’ Analogy: A Strategic Move in Bihar Elections

Chirag Paswan is sending a message through his statements. He has stated that he wants respectable seats. He has a number in mind and wants good seats. Although he clarified that the LJP (Ram Vilas) is not formally a member of the ruling coalition in Bihar, stating, ‘I am not part of the NDA government in Bihar. I am just supporting the government. I am only a part of the NDA at the center.’ He made another comment, which is considered a warning to his current allies. He said, ‘If I am uncomfortable or too ambitious… then I always have the option of leaving the alliance.’ The BJP needs LJP because Chirag Paswan leads the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). After the death of the veteran politician and former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, the party split. LJP (Ram Vilas) has the support of the Paswans, an influential Dalit community, which constitutes 6 percent of Bihar’s population. In the 2024 general elections, Chirag Paswan’s party won all five seats it contested and secured more than 6 percent of the votes. In the 2020 Bihar elections, held soon after Ram Vilas Paswan’s death, the undivided LJP contested alone. It won one seat but secured the second position in nine seats, achieving a vote share of over 5.6 percent and causing damage to the NDA. The BJP knows that Chirag Paswan could cause even greater damage this time.