Amidst a factional war, RLJP chief Pashupati Paras discusses Bihar seat distribution with BJP president

BJP president meets RLJP chief to resolve seat-sharing issue in Bihar amid LJP factional feud.

BJP president J.P. Nadda on Thursday met with Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) chief Pashupati Kumar Paras, to sort out what has become a potentially problematic seat-sharing arrangement in Bihar.

After the death of Ram Vilas Paswan in 2020, his Lok Janshakti Party split acrimoniously, with bitter words being exchanged between the late leader’s brother, Mr. Paras, and his son, Chirag Paswan, who now heads the LJP. Mr. Paras and his RLJP remained with the National Democratic Alliance, along with three of the six MPs of the united LJP.

Also Read | BJP tries to broker peace between LJP factions in bid to court Paswan vote

At the NDA’s meeting last year, however, Mr. Chirag Paswan re-entered the alliance, raising a question mark on just how seat-sharing arrangements would be concluded between the warring factions. In 2019, the BJP and Janata Dal (United) had each contested from 17 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, with the remaining six being contested by the united LJP under the late Paswan.

Mr. Chirag Paswan has stressed that his party would like to contest six seats in the 2024 parliamentary election, as it had in 2019. He has also staked his claim on Hajipur, a seat once held by his father, but now represented by Mr Paras.

Also Read | Chirag Paswan anticipates a ‘respectable’ number of seats in the NDA

The BJP wants both factions to join hands, but the warring uncle and nephew have ruled out any compromise. “With the re-entry of the JD(U) into the NDA, [dividing] the seats to be shared among the other allies, the Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal, along with these two factions of the LJP, is a bit problematic,” admitted a BJP leader.