Ahead of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meeting, Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas (LJP-R) President Chirag Paswan met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday amid efforts to come at a seat-sharing arrangement ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Paswan has been in talks lately to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA for some time and the meeting with Shah is being seen as part of that exercise. Earlier, Union minister Nityanand Rai, a senior BJP leader from Bihar, held two meetings with Paswan.
Paswan in a tweet said that he had a positive talk with Shah over coalition matters.
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"Today, had positive discussions with Honourable Home Minister Amit Shah Ji in New Delhi on coalition-related matters," said Paswan in a tweet in Hindi.
LJP (R) sources expressed confidence about a "positive outcome" of the meeting, indicating that Paswan will attend the BJP-led NDA get-together on Tuesday, reported PTI.
The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) witnessed a split into two factions after its founder, Chirag Paswan's father Ram Vilas Paswan, died in 2020. At the time, the LJP was in an alliance with the BJP and had contested six Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 elections and also received a Rajya Sabha seat for Ram Vilas Paswan as part of the seat-sharing agreement. Following Ram Vilas Paswan's death, the party split into two factions led by Chirag Paswan and his uncle Pashupati Paras.
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The faction led by Paras, a Union minister, is already part of the NDA.
Chirag Paswan wants the BJP to stick to the same arrangement as in 2019 despite a division in his party, reported PTI, adding that party sources said he has emphasised on clarity from the BJP about his share of Lok Sabha and also assembly seats in Bihar before formalising their alliance.
Chirag Paswan also wants the BJP to concede to him the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat, a pocket borough of his father for decades but currently represented by Paras in Parliament, reported PIT, adding that his uncle has also staked claim to the seat, asserting that he and not Chirag is the late leader's political heir.
The BJP has also been working to bring about a rapprochement between the two sides, with Rai meeting the Union minister as well, reported PTI.
Even though Paras got the support of all other four MPs of the party besides Paswan, his nephew is seen to have largely succeeded in inheriting the support of the vote bank loyal to his father, noted PTI, adding that since the split with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal-United (JD-U), the BJP has been keen to bring Paswan back to its side as it works to bolster its strength in the politically crucial state.
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In 2020, Paswan had walked out of the NDA during the 2020 Bihar assembly elections to his opposition to Nitish, who was a BJP ally at the time. He has, however, supported BJP on key issues since then.
