“All other contestants from Hajipur are bogus”: Pashupati Paras reiterates claim on Hajipur seat
Aug 13, 2023
Vaishali (Bihar) [India], August 13 : Union Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras on Sunday once again staked his claim on the Hajipur constituency and said that he will contest the next Lok Sabha polls from his late brother Ram Vilas Paswan's constituency.
In an apparent dig at his nephew Chirag Paswan who is also now a part of the NDA bloc, Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party chief Paras said that Chirag should contest from the seat where the late Ram Vilas Paswan wanted him to contest.
"I will contest the election from Hajipur. I've said many times that during my political career, I will stay with NDA and will continue to serve the people of Haijpur. There is no other contestant (for the Hajipur seat). All other contestants are bogus contestants. He (Chirag Paswan) should go where (late Ram Vilas Paswan) Paswan had taken him and serve those people...," Paras said.
Earlier, Chirag had said that he will contest the next Lok Sabha polls in 2024 from the Hajipur constituency in Bihar.
"I definitely say that I will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Hajipur only. It is not right to share the talks that took place with the BJP on a public platform but it is certain that Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will contest the Lok Sabha election from Hajipur," Chirag Paswan had told ANI.
However, Paras further said, “See, I have been loyal to everyone with whom I aligned. I have never cheated anyone and that is all I have. Till my last breath, I will be with NDA.”
In 2019, Pashupati Paras had won from Hajipur while Chirag emerged as the winner from Jamui.
However, the uncle-nephew fight shows no sign of relenting for close to three years.
Pashupati Kumar Paras and Chirag Paswan first locked horns over claiming the legacy of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) founder Ram Vilas Paswan.
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) was formed in October 2021 after the Election Commission allotted a separate symbol to Chirag Paswan's faction following his differences with his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, who heads a separate faction. In the 2020 Bihar assembly elections, Chirag Paswan had walked out of the NDA, raising a rebellion against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
In the Bihar assembly elections 2020, the LJP managed to secure only a 5.66 per cent vote share winning a single seat. The lone MLA who won under the LJP symbol soon switched sides to the JD(U).
