Top News

‘Wanted To Contest Bihar Election, But…’: Chirag Paswan Opens Up On CM Ambition, ‘MY Equation’, Nitish Kumar
ABP Live News | October 20, 2025 12:41 AM CST

Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan on Sunday opened up about his chief ministerial aspirations, alliance dynamics within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and his relationship with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras as the Bihar election dates approach.

Asked whether he sees himself as a contender for the Chief Minister’s post, Chirag Paswan told news agency ANI, “Every party wants its leader to become the Chief Minister. I myself wanted my father to become the Chief Minister or even the Prime Minister. Discussions on these topics should be held at the right occasions.”

He emphasised that the NDA has unanimously decided to contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls under Nitish Kumar’s leadership. “In today’s situation, many leaders of the NDA alliance have made it clear that we are contesting the elections under the leadership of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, and after the elections, the elected MLAs will once again choose Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister,” he said.

Paswan added that though he had initially wished to contest the Bihar elections himself, prolonged seat-sharing talks led him to shift focus towards his party’s candidates. “In the next four to five years, I will try to focus on Bihar even more,” he said.

Union Minister Chirag Paswan On ‘MY Equation’

Speaking about his development agenda ‘Bihar First – Bihari First’, Paswan explained his focus on inclusive progress. “When I talk about ‘Bihar First–Bihari First,’ it means overall development, unlike other youth leaders who talk about youth but view them through caste divisions,” he said.

He further clarified the idea behind of ‘MY Equation’: ”‘M’ stands for ‘mahilayein’ (women) and ‘Y’ stands for youth. I believe both face similar issues. I am moving forward with the idea of ‘Bihar First – Bihari First,’ where we can progress toward building a ‘Viksit Bihar’.”

The term "MY Equation" in Bihar politics refers to the core social and electoral base of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) party, led by Lalu Prasad Yadav and now Tejashwi Yadav. In this traditional sense, "MY" stands for Muslims and Yadavs.

Chirag Paswan On Relations with Nitish Kumar, Pashupati Kumar Paras

Addressing questions about his ties with Nitish Kumar and uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) president, Paswan said, “In 2020, it was not possible for me to stay in the NDA, and my party decided to quit the alliance. My uncle, Pashupati Kumar Paras, would now have realised that when you are cornered in an alliance so much so that you have no alternative, you are left with the option of contesting elections alone.”

Paswan said that being dedicated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he avoided contesting against BJP candidates in 2020 even after quitting the NDA. “I had no other option but to field candidates against JD(U), which caused them to suffer losses. The anger of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar was understandable. Now, all the concerns between me and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar have been resolved,” he said, adding that this time his party is contesting to ensure Nitish Kumar retains his position as Chief Minister.

Chirag Paswan on Being 'Hanuman' of PM Modi, Targets Opposition

Calling himself the “Hanuman” of Prime Minister Modi, Paswan asserted, “I will work beyond my capabilities to ensure the victory of the NDA in the Bihar elections. PM Modi has a great deal of trust in me; because of this, he allocated five seats to my party, which has only one MP. This was a very significant gesture for me.”

On the opposition, he took a dig at the Mahagathbandhan, questioning the absence of key leaders such as Rahul Gandhi. “Where are those who worried about Bihar a lot and tried to mislead the public, talked about ‘vote chori’… Where is Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi?… JMM is contesting elections alone… They are contesting elections against each other… This shows the incapability of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav,” Paswan remarked.

Reacting to Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor’s claim that the fight is between NDA and Jan Suraaj, he said, “Biharis are politically very intelligent, and they never waste their vote. They know that even if they make a particular candidate victorious, he will keep fighting with the government, and there will be no benefit in electing him. Only an MLA who is part of the government and has connections with the Union government can resolve their issues. It is clear that the NDA government will be formed.”

Confident of '100 Per Cent Strike Rate': Chirag Paswan On Disqualified Candidate

Discussing his party’s poll prospects, Paswan said he believes in spiritual manifestations. “It cannot be a mere coincidence that after all the negotiations, my party is contesting elections on 29 seats, and my father also won elections on 29 seats,” he told ANI.

He confirmed that the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is in talks with the Election Commission over one rejected nomination and added, “I will try my best, not only for my party but for the whole alliance, to achieve a 100 per cent strike rate in the upcoming Bihar elections.”

Praising the BJP for managing coordination within the NDA, Paswan said, “BJP has played the role of nodal body within the alliance very beautifully… All the alliance partners will campaign for each other and now we are all happy and satisfied.”

He concluded confidently, “NDA will perform better than our expectations… NDA government will be formed in Bihar with an absolute majority.” 

READ NEXT
Cancel OK