For the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has played a significant bet on Chirag Paswan, sidelining his uncle Pashupati Paras. The question arises why has the BJP offered five seats to the single-MP party Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) for contesting the elections? Moreover, why was the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, with five MPs, led by national president Pashupati Paras not allotted a single seat?
Chirag Paswan stands as the sole parliamentarian of his party. By assessing his political influence in Bihar, it becomes evident, especially when looking at the 2020 Assembly elections. Although Chirag Paswan's party only secured a win on one seat, their strategic candidates against Nitish Kumar's party relegated the Janata Dal United to the third position in Bihar’s political hierarchy, a party that once dominated the number one spot.
'Chirag's Party Made a Mark in 2020'
A closer look at the statistics from the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections reveals that there were at least 120 seats where vote-cutting parties or candidates affected the outcome for those finishing in second place. The Lok Janshakti Party fielded candidates in 134 seats, and notably, in 54 of the 120 contested, it was Chirag Paswan’s party that inflicted the most damage on the runners-up.
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'LJP Candidates Could Have Flipped the Game'
The data indicates that the LJP finished third in 54 constituencies, receiving more votes than the margin between the first and second place candidates. This implies that had LJP's votes gone to the runners-up, the election results could have been very different.
'These Parties Suffered Major Setbacks'
There were 25 Assembly seats where the Janata Dal United was second, and the LJP candidates received more votes than the margin of victory. RJD and Congress faced similar disadvantage in 12 and 10 seats, respectively, at the hands of Chirag Paswan's party.
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'Chirag Proved to Be a Gamechanger'
The slim vote margin between the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan in the 2020 elections, a mere 12,768 votes, spotlights Chirag Paswan's pivotal role. These numbers highlight how Chirag, had he not been in the fray, could have entirely turned the tide of the election.
