Union Minister Pashupati Paras Resigns After BJP Signs Deal With Chirag Paswan

Union Minister Pashupati Paras on Tuesday (March 19) tendered his resignation from the Modi cabinet, citing injustice in seat-sharing after the BJP struck a deal with his estranged nephew, Chirag Paswan, and the LJP (Ram Vilas) for the Lok Sabha elections in Bihar.

“I have submitted my resignation as Union Minister due to the unfairness in seat allocation faced by our party,” Pashupati Paras stated.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, finalized its seat-sharing arrangement for the Bihar Lok Sabha elections on Monday. The BJP secured 17 seats, the JD(U) 16, and Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas) five seats. Other NDA allies, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha led by Upendra Kushwaha, will contest one seat each.

Pashupati Paras’s faction of the LJP was not included in the seat-sharing agreement. However, Bihar BJP chief Samrat Choudhary mentioned ongoing discussions with him.

Paras had previously hinted at leaving the NDA if the seat allocation did not meet his expectations. The BJP reportedly disregarded the RLJP chief’s claims to several Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, including Hajipur.

Paras had announced his intention to contest from Hajipur, a contested seat with Chirag Paswan’s party. Ultimately, the BJP allocated Hajipur to LJP (Ram Vilas), causing further discontent for Paras.

Following the demise of Ram Vilas Paswan in 2020, the Lok Janshakti Party split into two factions: the RLJP led by Paras and the LJP (Ram Vilas) led by Chirag Paswan, both within the NDA.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and JD(U) contested 17 seats each, while the undivided LJP under Ram Vilas Paswan contested six seats. The BJP and LJP won all their seats, while the JD(U) secured 16 seats.