‘Looking forward to joining new government,’ says Chirag, reiterates Nitish Kumar ‘should continue’ as CM

Chirag, who was once seen as a bete noire of the JD(U) supremo, also blamed the opposition for the “false narrative” but admitted “it was because I did not contest the 2020 assembly polls as an NDA partner that benefitted the RJD and it became the single largest party.””But, the RJD grew arrogant thinking that the people had reposed their faith in that party. The party got done in by the arrogance. The people of Bihar had rejected the RJD and its jungle raj way back. In 2010, the party was decimated. It did better in 2015 only because of circumstances, because Nitish Kumar had joined them. And in 2020 they gained because we were not part of the NDA,” said Chirag.He also profusely thanked “central leadership of our alliance” for giving 29 seats to the LJPRV, “even though we did not have a single MLA in the outgoing assembly.”Notably, the nomination papers of one candidate of LJPRV were rejected during scrutiny.Chirag said, “We were written off. People were saying that we have been given challenging seats so that my party performs badly and I suffer a loss of face. Exit polls kept predicting that we will finish off with a single digit tally.””But I have the same blood flowing in my veins as my late father Ram Vilas Paswan, who resurrected the party in 2014,” the Union minister said with a hint of pride.Notably, the late Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party had suffered setbacks in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls when it failed to win a single seat and the founding president himself lost the pocket borough of Hajipur.A year later, the party’s dismal show continued in assembly polls, which it fought in alliance with the RJD.Only three seats were won by the LJP and two of its MLAs defected to the JD(U).In 2014, the late Chirag joined the NDA, and the LJP, riding the “Modi wave”, bounced back, winning six of the seven seats it had contested and its founder was rewarded with a berth in the Union cabinet, after a long time.(With inputs from PTI)



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