The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) asserted on Tuesday that its president and Union minister Chirag Paswan is ready to shoulder a bigger responsibility in poll-bound Bihar, claiming that the state needs a big leap and requires an energetic and fit leader with a long-term vision.
In comments that are bound to render the state's political dynamics more fluid, Mr Paswan's close aide and Lok Sabha MP Arun Bharti told PTI the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) should sit together and take a decision as the Union minister is a rare leader from the state with vision and acceptability across all castes and communities.
The party's chief whip in the Lok Sabha said other leaders lack either vision or acceptability but steered clear of commenting on the leadership of JD(U) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Arun Bharti, Mr Paswan's brother-in-law, said Bihar has done a "fabulous job" under Mr Kumar but suggested that its development journey still compares unfavourably to other states.
He said, "Bihar is on the cusp of a paradigm shift. Whoever comes to power after the elections will drive and shape the state's journey for the next 20-25 years. It is only possible for a leader with vision and acceptability. It is my party's view that Mr Paswan is fit and capable and is ready to shoulder a bigger responsibility." The MP, elected from the Jamui constituency vacated by Mr Paswan, who contested and won from Hajipur, pitched the Union minister's popularity, saying he is a big draw across the state.
Wherever Mr Paswan goes, he garners no less than a crowd of 50,000 people, Mr Bharti claimed.
The LJP (Ram Vilas) is the third biggest constituent of the NDA, which includes the BJP and the JD(U), besides a couple of smaller parties.
While NDA constituents, including the BJP and Mr Paswan, have often said the alliance will contest the polls under Kumar's leadership, questions have been swirling around the health of the state's longest-serving chief minister, with opposition parties raising the issue.
Mr Paswan had recently said he wanted to be a part of Bihar politics.
With the assembly elections still around six months away, the LJP (Ram Vilas) appears to be seeking a bigger perch for its leader. The party's ties with the JD(U) have been uneven, a friction that had prompted Mr Paswan to walk out of the NDA in Bihar during the 2020 elections.
He had focussed on the constituencies contested by the JD(U), inflicting a big dent in its overall tally, even though his own party could win only one seat.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
