As Pashupati Paras becomes Modi minister, what next for warring nephew Chirag Paswan?

As LJP leader Pashupati Paras became a Modi minister and laid claim to his late brother Ram Vilas Paswan’s legacy, here’s what the road ahead may look like for his warring nephew Chirag Paswan.

As LJP leader Pashupati Paras became a Modi minister on Wednesday and laid claim to his late brother Ram Vilas Paswan’s legacy, there is a lot of speculation regarding the road ahead for his warring nephew Chirag Paswan.Chirag, son of former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who died last year, is on his "Aashirwad Yatra" to consolidate his Dalit vote bank after facing a rebellion from his uncle Pashupati Paras.Ram Vilas Paswan always remained relevant in politics because of the six% Paswan vote he commanded. Also called 'Mausam Vaigyanik' (weather scientist) by RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, Ram Vilas Paswan repeatedly proved why Lalu nicknamed him so.From 1989 to 2020, Ram Vilas Paswan served as a Union Minister under every prime minister.It is now for Chirag Paswan to show his political acumen and decide which way he wants to sway ahead of the 2024 general elections, NDA or Mahagathbandhan.Chirag's main objective is to keep his core Paswan vote bank intact and is therefore reaching out to the people to consolidate his position as the true inheritor of Ram Vilas Paswan.However, the road ahead for Chirag does not seem to be easy, especially till the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. It is almost certain that Chirag for the next three years will have to work on the ground and position himself as a Dalit leader of Bihar.NDA an option?The BJP has distanced itself from the rebellion Chirag faced from his uncle a few weeks back when Pashupati Paras dislodged his nephew and became the national president of the Lok Janshakti Party.Chirag, who called himself 'Hanuman' of Prime Minister Modi during the 2020 Assembly election in Bihar, and said soon after the split in his party, "It is not good for Ram to remain quiet when Hanuman is being killed," referring to Modi.The BJP is adopting a 'wait and watch' policy. The saffron party is aware that Chirag is the true inheritor of Ram Vilas Paswan's political legacy, which it cannot ignore with an eye on the 2024 general elections.The BJP is keeping a close eye on the response Chirag is generating during his Aashirwad Yatra. Despite reports that the BJP engineered the split in the LJP, Chirag has chosen not to speak against the BJP, indicating he also wants to keep his option of remaining with the NDA open in 2024.Mahagathbandhan an option?The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is keen on getting Chirag Paswan on its side. According to sources, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav is in touch with Chirag to plan that both youth leaders come together for the 2025 assembly election in Bihar.Tejashwi, on a few recent occasions, has invited Chirag to join the Mahagathbandhan."It is for Chirag to decide whether he wants to remain with forces that represent the Bunch of Thoughts of Golwalkar or the philosophy of Baba Bhimrao Ambedkar,” Tejashwi Yadav said.If this is to happen, Chirag Paswan will have to compromise and accept Tejashwi's leadership as constituent political parties of the Mahagathbandhan like the Congress and the Left have already accepted the young RJD Turk as their leader.In case Chirag decides to join the Mahagathbandhan, he will have to dump NDA completely, but before that, he will have to weigh his options well and, most importantly, be an ace political weather scientist like his father, who hardly made a wrong prediction. Also read: Will not take U-turn on my decision, took step to keep LJP intact: Pashupati Paras | Exclusive Also read: Why Paras unseated nephew Chirag from Ram Vilas Paswan’s party