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Chirag hopes to get back poll symbol of his father's party

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Patna, Nov 28 (PTI) Union minister Chirag Paswan on Thursday hoped that the Election Commission would give a favourable verdict on his petition laying claim to the poll symbol of Lok Janshakti Party, floated by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan.

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The young leader, whose outfit is known as Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), was talking to reporters on the occasion of the 25th foundation day of the party which got split three and a half years ago following a rebellion led by his estranged uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras.

"We are delighted that the Bihar government has allotted to my party the same bungalow from which my father used to operate. A reason why we chose to give up the earlier plan of celebrating the day at the historic Gandhi Maidan. We shall hold a rally there ahead of next year's assembly polls", said Paswan.

He added, "Celebrations at the very premises which served as LJP office for years, is of great significance to us. Though we realise this cannot be a permanent arrangement. The building may be allotted to someone else in future".

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Replying to a query, Paswan squarely blamed Paras, initially backed but now dumped by the BJP, for relations getting sour between the two and pointed out "he has gone to the extent of saying that the blood that flows in my veins is different from his. I do not think he has left scope for reconciliation".

The Hajipur MP was asked as to whether, after having got the better of his detractors, he now looked forward to getting back the LJP's famous poll symbol, the bungalow, which was freezed by the EC following competing claims on the same by his uncle and him.

He replied, "It is for the EC to decide. But I am confident that the day is not far when we will not only get back the symbol but also the party's original name".

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The LJP(RV) president said his party's victory in Jharkhand's Chatra assembly seat was "a step in the direction of fulfilling my father's dream that LJP, founded in 2000, the year Jharkhand was also created, spreads beyond Bihar".

He reacted with a shy smile to shouts of his supporters who expressed the wish that the 42-year-old become the Prime Minister one day.

"This exuberance is natural for supporters. I must admit that once I too wanted my father to be the PM. But I have always had an ear to the ground. A reason why I have always been unflinching in my loyalty towards Narendra Modi whom I would like to back for a fourth consecutive term in 2029", said the Union minister.

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The young leader was visibly gratified by NDA partners like Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who heads JD(U), and Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary of BJP, taking time off to attend his function.

"It is proof that the NDA is cohesive, as was evident in the recent assembly by-polls which we swept, and will be for all to see again in 2025 when we seek the people's mandate", said Paswan.

He made light of allegations of non-cooperation towards allies like Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha, levelled by Anand Mohan, husband of JD(U) MP Lovely Anand, and their son Chetan Anand, a rebel RJD MLA who crossed over to the NDA earlier this year.

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Pointing out that Manjhi's son Santosh Suman, a state minister, was among the visitors to his function, Paswan said "probably some people cannot stomach normalisation of my relations with the chief minister. So they are indulging in mischief".

Notably, Paswan, who then headed the LJP, had revolted against JD(U) in the 2020 polls, causing the tally of Nitish Kumar's party to crash. The brinkmanship was blamed for severance of ties between the JD(U) and the BJP, though both parties realigned in January this year, after 17 months of separation. PTI ANW NAC RG

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