Chirag Paswan was instrumental in bringing dad to NDA
New Delhi
For strange but sound political reasons, the 'Bihari parties' are having a blast in Nagaland elections this year.
On Saturday, two eminent ex-BJP leaders Dr A Sukhto and Kevechutso Doulo were named as LJP (Ram Vilas) candidates for Pughoboto and Chizami.
The reasons have nothing to do with Nitish Kumar's Prime Ministerial ambition or Chirag Paswan looking for a story plot to revive his Bollywood career.
The reasons are more fundamental and political. The so-called 'NDA tag' goes in favour of the LJP (Ram Vilas) led by Late Ram Vilas Paswan's actor-turned-neta Chirag Paswan.
Late Dalit leader Paswan in 1982 married his 'second wife' Reena Sharma, an airhostess and a Brahmin
from Punjab. Their son Chirag Kumar Paswan tried his luck as a Bollywood sart for a while and
then joined politics and is now leading LJP (Ram Vilas).
Besides JD(U) and LJP (Ram Vilas), there is yet another Bihar-based party RJD in play.
Even in 2008 Lalu Prasad-led outfit had done well in the assembly elections and polled 6.35 percent votes.
Former bureaucrat T N Mannen had contested from Impur on RJD ticket. Of course, certain things are also
coincidental. The elections in 2023 seem very interesting.
With the BJP sealing a deal 'favouring NDPP' -- 20:40 formula in 60-member assembly - many BJP ticket aspirants are left in the lurch. They do not want to trust regional parties nor an outfit like the Congress - which is zero-member strong.
Hence the move towards LJP (Ram Vilas) is strategic. "If not BJP itself, let us be with a friend of BJP.
That speaks volume about Narendra Modi's popularity and hopefully the people who decide political
course in Nagaland understand this," says a 25-year-old young friend Bob Yepthomi.
Chirag has been a Narendra Modi fan himself personally. In 2014 while his dad was still reluctant to
do business with pro-Hindutva BJP, Chirag like any doting father influenced his 'secular' father's
decision. In 2002, Paswan had quit Vajpayee cabinet over Gujarat mayhem and played a key role
along with several others in floating Congress-led UPA.
Now there is a need to take note that the LJP under Ram Vilas Paswan was different. The party split
after Paswan expired in October 2020. In fact, it's a typical domestic feud in any Indian family -- rich and middle class.
As the eldest of brothers in the family Ram Vilas Paswan expired, his politician brothers did not want to hand over
the reins of the party to their nephew Chirag.
So the new outfit came - Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP). The EC decided that the outfit led by Chirag
will be called LJP (Ram Vilas). The RLJP is headed by Union minister and national president Pashupati Kumar Paras.
Now in a futuristic sentence, it may not be totally erroneous to suggest that after 2024 parliamentary
polls, both the parties may vanish. And even if one of them survives 2024, by 2025 when
assembly elections are held in Bihar, the end could be possible.
This is not to underestimate the parties. As a matter of fact, the vote share of the LJP was not
much. Just a correct caste calculation by Nitish Kumar had played havoc with Ram Vilas Paswan in 2009
and he himself had lost Lok Sabha and his party strength was reduced to zero.
But it is also true that the LJP (Ram Vilas) power politics in Nagaland is not related to the party's
performance in Bihar.
Chirag Paswan in a statement says, his party will take up "the Indo-Naga political issue in Parliament to
bring an amicable and meaningful solution." This is a mild message in content but crucial in the sense
of timing.
People even in Nagaland know Chirag's father Late Ram Vilas Paswan was a virtual 'perfect psephologist' who
has worked with all PMs since H D Deve Gowda as Minister including under Manmohan Singh, Vajpayee and Modi
in the union cabinet.
But the twist in the plot must be understood in the deeper studies. G Kaito Aye, now NDPP candidate from
Sataka, had won on the JD-U ticket in 2018. This did not impact his political fortunes or the future of JD-U in
Nagaland as he quickly extended loyalty to Neiphiu Rio and gradually dumped Nitish Kumar's party.
The same fate will await 'winners' in LJP, JD-U or any other so-called not so established parties in Nagaland.
According to sources, this factor has prevented the AAP chief, Arvind Kejriwal, from investing much.
NPP leader and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma also lost two MLAs in 2018-19 and hence he is reluctant to pump in money this year.
ends
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