From Zero to Peak: How Did Chirag Paswan Outshine in Bihar?
Chirag, who speaks of ‘Bihar and Bihari First,’ secured 19 seats for his party.
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Just before the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) founder Ram Vilas Paswan passed away. The entire responsibility of the party and the election fell on Chirag Paswan’s shoulders. That year, breaking away from the NDA, the LJP contested the elections alone.
The party fielded candidates on 135 seats, but won only one. A few months later, even that lone MLA joined the JD(U). However, in this election, the LJP caused the biggest dent to the JD(U).
Eight months later, Chirag faced another blow. His uncle, Pashupati Paras, along with five MPs, ‘took control’ of the party. The LJP split into two factions. Chirag named his faction Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). Amid all the political upheavals, Chirag continued to remain close to Modi and the BJP, and kept working on strengthening his party in the state.
A year passed. Chirag began preparing for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This election was considered extremely crucial for him and his party. Under the NDA, LJP (R) contested five seats and achieved a 100% strike rate by winning all five. As a reward, Chirag was given a berth in Modi’s cabinet.
2025: Vote Share Steady, Seats Rise Sharply
Riding on the 2024 victory, Chirag was considered a crucial link for the NDA in this election. Before the polls, the party had demanded 40 seats, but under the alliance, it received 29 seats. Just before voting, the party faced a setback when its candidate from the Marhaura seat had their nomination rejected.
According to the Election Commission data available till 9 PM yesterday, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has won 17 seats and is leading on 2 more. Compared to the last election, the party has more or less maintained its vote share this time as well.
This is the best performance of the Lok Janshakti Party since the February 2005 Assembly elections. Back then, under Ram Vilas Paswan’s leadership, the party had won 29 seats. However, in the re-election held seven months later, the party lost 19 seats outright. After that, the party’s graph kept falling in assembly elections—winning 3 seats in 2010, 2 in 2015, and only 1 in 2020.
LJP (R)’s Wins on Seats Earlier Held by the Mahagathbandhan
Chirag, often called the NDA’s Hanuman, has this time hoisted the flag of victory on seats that were earlier under the Mahagathbandhan’s control. From the Mahua seat in Vaishali, LJP (R) candidate Sanjay Kumar Singh won by a margin of 45,000 votes. For the past two elections, this seat was held by the RJD. In 2015, Tej Pratap Yadav had won here. This time, he contested after forming his own party.
In Bakhtiyarpur, the NDA has won after 15 years. For the last three terms, the seat was with the RJD. LJP (R) candidate Arun Kumar secured victory by 981 votes. Chirag also snatched the Rajouli seat, previously held by the RJD. In addition, Tejashwi’s party suffered defeats in Sugouli, Nathnagar, and Sherghati.
The Darauli seat had long been dominated by the Left. CPI (ML) had won it for the past two terms. However, this time Chirag’s party disrupted the Left’s track record. Vishnu Dev Paswan won by 9,500 votes.
Katihar’s Balrampur seat, which had long been held by CPI (ML)’s Mahboob Alam, was won by LJP (R) candidate Sangeeta Devi by 389 votes. Notably, the Left party came in third place, while AIMIM came second. The Bakhri seat also slipped out of the CPI’s hands.
In Muzaffarpur’s Bochahan and Chenari, the Mahagathbandhan had been consistently winning, but this time Chirag’s helicopter has taken off.
On eight seats—including Sahibganj Kamal, Paliganj, Bodh Gaya, and Fatuha—Chirag’s party stood in second place. In Bahadurganj, LJP (R) finished third.
Paswan Votes and the NDA Alliance Worked Wonders
According to the Bihar Caste Survey 2023, the Paswan community makes up 5.31% of the state’s total population. The election results clearly show that Chirag received full support from Paswan voters. Being aligned with the NDA also ensured a direct transfer of BJP and JD(U) votes to LJP (R).
On the other hand, the NDA also benefitted from Chirag. In the 2020 Assembly elections, LJP had finished second on 9 seats and had damaged Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) on at least 35 seats.
However, this time, with Chirag joining hands, the NDA’s social coalition has become stronger, which has helped the alliance. JD(U) gained over 40 seats, and the BJP’s tally has also increased.