The fracture in LJP will impact Bihar’s politics
Hindustan TimesEight months after Ram Vilas Paswan’s death, there has been a coup in the Lok Janashakti Party. Paswan’s successor and his son, Chirag, with what many assume to be a nod from the Bharatiya Janata Party, decided to contest the Bihar assembly polls independently, breaking away from the National Democratic Alliance in the state while backing it at the Centre. Since then, Mr Kumar has been clear that the onus was on the BJP to show that it did not have a secret understanding with the LJP, drawn a red line at Chirag Paswan’s induction into the Union council of ministers, if and when a Cabinet reshuffle occurs, and worked to weaken Mr Paswan’s hold over his party. This plan succeeded when five LJP Members of Parliament decided to elect Pashupati Kumar Paras, the late Paswan’s brother, as parliamentary party leader.