One Bihar politician who has hogged much of the political discussion in the state of late is Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief and two-time MP from Jamui, Chirag Paswan. For much of the latter part of last year he was a potential challenger to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the JD(U).
Paswan’s LJP did make a serious dent into the vote base of JD(U) and was primarily responsible for reducing the latter to third-largest party in the Assembly polls with 43 seats – behind RJD’s 75 and BJP’s 74 seats – but the party itself ended with a lone MLA.
On Tuesday, Nitish Kumar took his sweet revenge, when LJP’s single MLA – Raj Kumar Singh, who won from Matihani, Begusarai – joined JD(U). The LJP now has no member in either state Legislative Council or the Assembly. While Chirag was seen as fancying his chances of being a BJP ally at the expense of JD(U) before the Assembly polls, Nitish seems to have drawn levels with LJP.