Will Chirag Paswan's Party Join BJP-Led Alliance? He Says...

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Saturday said that a final decision on attending the NDA meeting or formally joining the ruling alliance at the Centre ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections will be taken after holding consultations with all party leaders and workers.

"We will take a final decision (on joining the NDA) after consulting all the party leaders and workers. We have supported BJP on various issues from time to time, but the final decision on whether to go to the NDA meeting or joining the alliance (ahead of the Lok Sabha polls) will be taken after holding discussions with all party leaders," Chirag Paswan told ANI on Saturday.

BJP national president JP Nadda on Saturday wrote to Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan, inviting him to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meeting that is scheduled to be held on July 18, the LJP (Ram Vilas) informed through a tweet.

The meeting in the national capital will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is being organised to mark the completion of 9 years of the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Earlier on July 9, after chairing a key meeting of national and state office bearers of the party at his residence in Bihar's Patna, Mr Paswan, while talking to the media said that the leaders of his party have "authorised" him to take any decision regarding forming an alliance for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

"Party leaders today have authorised me to take any decision regarding forming an alliance for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections and also state elections, but till now, it would not be good to talk publicly on the alliance," Mr Paswan said.

To mark the completion of 9 years of the NDA rule under the leadership of PM Modi, the BJP had launched a month-long Jan Sampark Abhiyan (mega outreach campaign) on June 1.

Over the course of its mega campaign, which culminated on June 30, the BJP organised a raft of events featuring a raft of top leaders and Union ministers.

The purpose of these meetings was to highlight the key takeaways of the NDA government under PM Modi and the many welfarist and developmental schemes that are being implemented across the country.

After a split in 2021, the LJP (Ram Vilas) was allocated a new symbol by the Election Commission (EC).

The rival LJP faction, under the leadership of Pashupati Kumar Paras, a sitting Union minister, came to be known as Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)