Chirag Paswan Decides To Join NDA, "Welcome To Family," Says BJP Chief

Chirag Paswan, the leader of the key faction of the Lok Janshakti Party, will join the NDA, the BJP announced on Monday evening shortly after his meeting with the party's key strategist Amit Shah. "Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan has decided to join NDA. I welcome him to the NDA family," BJP chief JP Nadda announced on the eve of the NDA show of strength in Delhi.

Chirag Paswan, the political heir to his father Ram Vilas Paswan, had walked out of the NDA ahead of the last state election in Bihar over his disagreements with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.  While it cut down Mr Kumar's numbers and gave the BJP the upper hand in the state, it left Paswan Junior isolated. His uncle, Pashupati Paras, who had the support of four MPs, remained with the NDA.

But with most of Bihar's six per cent Paswan voters supporting Chirag Paswan, the BJP needed him in the NDA, sources had indicated. In a meeting with Amit Shah today, Chirag Paswan had sought six seats for his faction, sources said.

While the BJP response is not known yet, the party has been pushing for a rapprochement between the two factions of the LJP for a while.

Mr Paras has turned down the idea, saying, "When things go wrong, when the milk curdles, no matter how hard you try, you get no butter".

The faction led by Pashupati Paras had said they will not oppose Chirag Paswan's entry into NDA, but they would not welcome him either.

On Sunday, asked about his nephew's participation in the meeting, Mr Paras told reporters: "This is election year. Every party wants to add more people... So Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi have been invited. People will come to the meeting, which is a good thing. What will happen depends on the outcome of the meeting."