Paras Highlights 'Injustice' in Lok Sabha Seat Sharing; Proposes RLJP Candidate for Tarari By-Election

Former Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras expressed grievances over alleged injustices during the Lok Sabha polls, but emphasized the RLJP's loyalty to the NDA. He proposed Narendra Nath Pandey as RLJP's candidate for Tarari in upcoming by-elections and vowed to strengthen his party's position ahead of the Bihar assembly polls.

Former Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras on Wednesday voiced concerns about 'injustice' faced by his Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party during the Lok Sabha elections. Despite this, the RLJP chose to remain with the NDA.

Paras, who had relinquished his Union cabinet post following unsatisfactory seat-sharing, addressed journalists post a RLJP meeting. The RLJP was formed after a split in the Lok Janshakti Party, previously led by his late elder brother Ram Vilas Paswan.

'Although we got a raw deal in the Lok Sabha polls, we did not switch our loyalties. We hope BJP president JP Nadda would recognise this and give us a fair deal in Bihar assembly polls due next year,' Paras stated.

Paras also expressed the RLJP's desire to contest one of the four vacant assembly seats due to by-elections. He proposed Narendra Nath Pandey as the candidate for Tarari, a seat vacated by CPI(ML) MLA Sudama Prasad's election to the Lok Sabha.

'Pandey would give a good fight. He contested the seat in 2020 as an Independent and finished runner-up. The BJP should consider this,' Paras urged.

Interestingly, BJP's Tarari candidate, Kaushal Kishor Vidyarthi, had finished third in the previous election.

Paras asserted that his party aims to bolster the NDA in the upcoming assembly polls, provided they receive a respectable share in seat distribution. He maintained that RLJP would support any coalition that respected them but did not rule out contesting all 243 seats independently if necessary.

'We are issuing no such threat. We are only demanding the respect that is our due. What will happen in future, only time will tell,' added Paras, who emerged as a leader after a split with Chirag Paswan, LJP's heir apparent.

Asked about the Nitish Kumar government's order to vacate the RLJP's office building, Paras confirmed they are challenging the eviction in court.