BJP looks for ‘Chirag’ to light up Bihar poll plan
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, June 29: Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah’s rally in Lakkhisarai in Bihar may turn out to be an occasion for realignment of the political forces for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance. Shah is in full charge of the BJP strategy to counter the Janata Dal (United)-led Mahagathbandhan consisting of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress, and the Left parties.
In the meantime, the BJP top brass has continued to be in a huddle for almost 10 days, with intensity gaining more pace last night, to get the 2024 Lok Sabha poll script right. The meeting of the Council of Ministers has also been called for Monday. This has given a wide speculation of an impending shuffle in the council of ministers, as well as the national team of the BJP.
But beyond the corridors of speculations, sources said that an alignment of political forces is on the card on Bihar, which will be the real test of the political acumen of Shah. The spotlight is on Chirag Paswan, who was outsmarted by his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, who joined the Modi government as a Cabinet minister and left the heir of the political legacy of Ram Vilas Paswan stranded in the quagmire of Bihar politics by walking away with all the Lok Sabha MPs.
But Shah, sources said, has plan up his sleeve to shuffle his cards in Bihar. “Paras is not keeping well. He is also not a mass leader who can make any significant impact on the core constituency of the Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP). The time has come to return the leadership of the party to Chirag Paswan. While Paswan being 70 years old may just have another five years in active politics, Chirag Paswan has decades ahead of him, as well as the political legacy of his father,” said an informed source.
Sources said that Chirag Paswan may join the Modi government as a Cabinet Minister which will be part of the plan to pump his profile in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Chirag Paswan had carried a bitter anti Nitish Kumar campaign in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, and the JD (U) had blamed him for the poor show the ruling party in the state. The plan, according to the sources, will entail homecoming of Chirag Paswan and unification of the two wings of the LJP, with uncle and nephew burying hatchet for larger battle in the Lok Sabha elections.
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