Chirag Paswan’s LJP to fight on 137 seats, releases 3rd list of candidates

On a day LJP chief Chirag Paswan performed the ‘rasam pagri’ rituals for his father late Ram Vilas Paswan, who passed away on October 8 in New Delhi, the party released the third and final list of 42 candidates for the three-phase Bihar assembly election, starting October 28.

The third list takes the total number of candidates of the LJP, which is fighting independently this time, to 137. It had earlier released two lists of 53 and 42 candidates on October 16 and 8, respectively. On Wednesday, the LJP will also release its ‘Bihar 1st, Bihari 1st’ vision document.

At the ‘rasam pagri’ ceremony, chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav also went to pay their homage to the veteran socialist leader despite their hectic electioneering.

Both leaders sat on two sides of Chirag Paswan to present a different picture away from the political battlefield. Several other political leaders cutting across party lines also visited to pay their tribute to the leader.

LJP leaders said that there were some ties beyond politics also and nothing should be read between the lines.

Once again several ex-leaders of the BJP, though not the prominent names, have found place in the LJP list, which reflects the party’s focus on upper caste and Dalit in ticket distribution. The LJP has also given opportunity to committed party leaders, as also those from other parties. With seven more women in the third list, the total number of women candidates is now 23.

Abdur Razaak, who was in the RJD, has been fielded by the party from Mahishi. Former Congress leader Abhash Kumar Jha, who contested from the Sarairanjan seat in 2010 and finished third, has also been given ticket by the LJP.

From Gayaghat seat, the party has fielded Komal Singh, daughter of MP Veena Devi and JD-U MLC Dinesh Prasad Singh. Veena Singh had defeated former union minister late Raghuvansh Prasad Singh in 2019. She had also represented Gaaighat seat in the Bihar assembly.

LJP spokesman Vikas Mishra, whose name also figures in the list from Harlakhi seat in Madhubani, said that the party’s only focus was on winning as many seats as possible.

“Our party chief Chirag Paswan’s stand has been clear and the ticket distribution is clearly in keeping with the party line of winning to help install a government that could work with ‘Bihar 1st, Bihari 1st’ vision,” he added.