“Bihar first Bihari first, our differences are with the JDU and not with BJP”: LJP’S Chirag Paswan goes solo for the polls

The national president of Lok Janshakti Party, Chirag Paswan is going solo for the upcoming Bihar elections even as his father Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan is in hospital for a heart surgery.

Flashing a victory sign after a meeting of the party’s central parliamentary board at his residence in Delhi, he said: “I will not speak more but we will win the battle.”

“Lok Janshakti Party will not contest the upcoming Bihar elections in alliance with Janata Dal (United) due to ideological differences,” Abdul Khaliq, national general secretary, LJP said.

But the LJP clarified that their differences are with the JDU and not the BJP. “At the national level and in Lok Sabha elections, Lok Janshakti Party shares a strong alliance with BJP and our candidate will fight the election against JDU on some seats,” Mr Khaliq said.

The LJP will put up candidates against Nitish Kumar’s JDU, however, the party will not field its candidates against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Today’s meeting was earlier scheduled to be held on Saturday but was postponed after Chirag Paswan’s father, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, was hospitalised and later underwent heart surgery at a hospital in Delhi.

Mr Chirag had meanwhile yesterday shared his “Bihar first Bihari first” a vision document of the LJP on Twitter. He said that the document has been inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought that the people of the state will bless him to make Bihar first and restore its pride so that “all my candidates could strengthen the hands of the prime minister.”

The Bihar assembly polls will be held in three phases on October 28, November 3, and November 7, and the counting of votes will take place on November 10.