Bihar elections: Is BJP using Chirag Paswan to checkmate chief minister Nitish Kumar?
Nitish Kumar
ahead of assembly elections? In the 2020 assembly elections, Chirag played a key role in making Nitish Kumar's JD(U) the junior partner of the
BJP
in the ruling NDA.
Five years later, as the election approaches, he is back to targeting the Bihar chief minister, this time over the deteriorating law and order situation in the backdrop of several high-profile murders in the state.
Here's a look at some of the statements Chirag has made targeting his own government in the poll-bound state over law and order:
"The law-and-order situation in the state has become a matter of "grave concern" as murders are happening daily, the morale of criminals is "sky-high" and the functioning of police and overall administration defies reason."
"How many Biharis will be murdered? It is beyond understanding what is the responsibility of the Bihar Police?"
"It is a matter of worry the way crime has risen and law and order have collapsed in Bihar. If such an incident has happened in a posh locality of Patna, then we can only imagine what is happening in villages. It is worrying to see such incidents occur under a government that was known for good governance; then the opposition will have a chance to speak up. Strict action needs to be taken to set a precedent so that such a thing is not repeated."
"Such incidents aggravate our concerns ... If the family (of Gopal Khemka) is scared, it is justified. This is a family that has faced this earlier as well. Did the local administration provide security to the family? It was the responsibility of the administration."
Clearly, a no-holds-barred attack on the Bihar police, which functions under the direct watch of CM Nitish Kumar, as he also holds the home portfolio.
The LJP chief's attack is completely justified given the recent murder incidents -- first the killing of a prominent businessman Gopal Khemka, who was shot outside his residence in Patna by a bike-borne assailant in broad daylight and then the killing of a convict in a hospital by four assailants, caught on CCTV.
But the only catch is: Chirag Paswan is part of the NDA -- which includes the BJP and has ruled Bihar for most of the last 20 years.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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The present Nitish government has two deputy chief ministers from the BJP.
So, who is Chirag targeting? The NDA government in the state, or only chief minister Nitish Kumar, with whom he shares a bitter, uneasy relationship? Well, the LJP (RV) chief is certainly not attacking the BJP, as his latest tweet on deteriorating law and order in Bihar was hours after he had held a meeting with BJP chief J P Nadda.
In 2020, when Chirag had walked out of the NDA ahead of the assembly elections over seat sharing, he had kept his ties with the BJP while targeting Nitish Kumar.
He had then strategically fielded candidates to divide the NDA votes and ensure the defeat of JD(U) candidates in several assembly seats.
Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) contested 137 seats in 2020, but mostly in constituencies where Nitish Kumar's JD(U) was fighting and not the BJP. JD(U)'s seat count fell from 71 in 2015 to 43 in 2020. The party lost 72 seats of the total 115 it contested. In 27 of these, the LJP's vote share exceeded the margin of defeat.
In 64 seats where the party failed to win, LJP's vote tally exceeded the margin of victory, effectively altering the final outcome.
This time around, Chirag is a Union minister and very much a part of the NDA at the Centre, but he is still playing the guessing game. While announcing his decision to contest elections, he slammed the lack of development in the state till now and announced that he is contesting elections to improve the condition of the people of Bihar.
Interestingly, this is also what the opposition parties claim.
Chirag had earlier announced that he would be contesting elections on all 243 seats to ensure that the NDA wins and forms a government again. Now, here is a catch. Perhaps, Chirag, whose party has no members in the state assembly at present, is preparing the ground to ensure that his party gets a good number of seats to contest. But that may be difficult as the JD(U) considers itself a key player and is unlikely to give up its claims despite the party's poor show in 2020.
So, if Chirag is not satisfied with seat sharing, he may yet again, with perhaps tacit approval of the BJP, decide to contest alone even while continuing to be a part of the NDA at the Centre. His aim possibly would be to ensure again that the BJP does not suffer electorally while Nitish bears the brunt.
If that indeed happens, Nitish will be left in the lurch. Already battling negative reports around his health, Nitish, who has dominated politics in Bihar for the last 20 years, faces one of the most challenging elections.
He has already sworn again and again that he will make no more flip-flops, something that gave him the dubious distinction of being called the "Paltu Ram".
CM Nitish is likely to be wary of Chirag's plans. The Bihar chief minister knows that if his party's tally plunges further, it will be the end of the road for him, especially when it comes to leading the NDA in the state. And the mantle would naturally pass on to the BJP.
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