My party looking forward to joining new govt in Bihar, I feel Nitish should continue as CM: Chirag

Patna, Nov 15 (PTI) Union minister Chirag Paswan on Saturday said his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) was looking forward to joining the new government in Bihar and he "personally" felt that JD(U) president Nitish Kumar should continue as chief minister.

Addressing a press conference a day after the NDA secured a landslide victory in the assembly polls, with his own party bagging 19 out of the 28 seats it had contested, Paswan also charged the opposition with creating a "false narrative" that he was not on good terms with the longest serving chief minister of Bihar.

The Hajipur MP, who paraded all the newly elected candidates of LJPRV before the media, said, "Representatives of my party today met Nitish Kumar to congratulate him upon the victory. Yes, we too are looking forward to joining the government. Earlier, we used to say that we support the government but are not a part of it. But that was because we had no representation in the state legislature".

Replying to a query, he said, "It is for the legislators to decide who should be the next CM or the deputy CM. I personally feel that Nitish Kumar should continue to head the government".

Notably, Kumar's JD(U) has won 85 seats, four less than the BJP, making it the second occasion since 2020 assembly polls when the CM's party has been outperformed by its ally.

Paswan, who was once seen as a bete noire of the JD(U) supremo, also blamed the opposition for the "false narrative" but admitted "it was because I did not contest the 2020 assembly polls as an NDA partner that benefitted the RJD and it became the single largest party".

"But, the RJD grew arrogant thinking that the people had reposed their faith in that party. The party got done in by the arrogance. The people of Bihar had rejected the RJD and its jungle raj way back. In 2010, the party was decimated. It did better in 2015 only because of circumstances, because Nitish Kumar had joined them. And in 2020 they gained because we were not part of the NDA", said Paswan.

He also profusely thanked "central leadership of our alliance" for giving 29 seats to the LJPRV, "even though we did not have a single MLA in the outgoing assembly".

Notably, the nomination papers of one candidate of LJPRV were rejected during scrutiny.

Paswan said, "We were written off. People were saying that we have been given challenging seats so that my party performs badly and I suffer a loss of face. Exit polls kept predicting that we will finish off with a single digit tally".

"But I have the same blood flowing in my veins as my late father Ram Vilas Paswan, who resurrected the party in 2014", the Union minister said with a hint of pride.

Notably, the late Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party had suffered setbacks in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls when it failed to win a single seat and the founding president himself lost the pocket borough of Hajipur.

A year later, the party's dismal show continued in assembly polls, which it fought in alliance with the RJD. Only three seats were won by the LJP and two of its MLAs defected to the JD(U).

In 2014, the late Paswan joined the NDA, and the LJP, riding the "Modi wave", bounced back, winning six of the seven seats it had contested and its founder was rewarded with a berth in the Union cabinet, after a long time. PTI SUK NAC MNB