In face-off with Chirag, uncle Paras picks Hajipur to mark LJP function

The bone of contention remains the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat, currently represented by Paras, who has decided to celebrate LJP’s foundation day on November 28 at Hajipur instead of Patna.

In the run-up to the general election due next year, there is no sign of a rapprochement between the two Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) factions — LJP (Ram Vilas) headed by Jamui MP Chirag Paswan and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) led by his estranged uncle, union minister and Hajipur MP Pashupati Kumar Paras — both constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The embrace between the estranged uncle-nephew duo during an NDA meeting in New Delhi on July 18 had fuelled speculation of a thaw in their relationship. (HT FILE)

The bone of contention remains the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat, currently represented by Paras, who has decided to celebrate LJP’s foundation day on November 28 at Hajipur instead of Patna.

Chirag Paswan has already made it clear he would not forgo his claim on the seat which his father (late) Ram Vilas Paswan represented nine times.

“We celebrate LJP’s foundation day every year on November 28. We will do so this year too, the only difference being that instead of Patna, the function will be held in Hajipur, which has been late Ram Vilas Paswan’s karmabhumi,” Paras said on Sunday.

Asked about the change of venue, Paras said, “It is like trying out a different dish to offset the monotony of the same type of food every year.”

The union minister made it clear he will not give up Hajipur seat.

A few weeks back, Chirag had once again hinted at not relinquishing his claim for Hajipur seat. “I cannot disappoint the people of Jamui (Chirag Paswan’s parliamentary constituency). However, I am paving the way for Maa (mother Reena Paswan) to fight from the Hajipur constituency so that I can continue with Jamui. But one thing is certain — LJP-R will fight both from Hajipur and Jamui,” he had said.

Paras, meanwhile, said his party was the only “stable ally of BJP.” “There are many newcomers who cannot be counted on,” he said.

“Our party has five MPs in the current Lok Sabha. We will contest all these seats and help the NDA do its best in Bihar,” the union minister said.

When pointed out that Chirag has been trying to stake claim on Hajipur to field his mother Reena from the seat nurtured by his late father over decades, Paras remarked mockingly, “He should first tell us on which party’s ticket does he want to fight in the seat.”

The LJP had won six Lok Sabha seats in Bihar in the 2019 polls as a constituent of the NDA. In 2021, a year after Ram Vilas Paswan’s death, the party split, with five of the MPs supporting Paras.