"Like a sign from my father": Chirag Paswan on LJP-RV contesting 29 seats in Bihar polls

Patna (Bihar) [India], October 19 (ANI): Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Sunday expressed confidence about his party's prospects in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, drawing parallels with his late father Ram Vilas Paswan's political journey, as the party contests 29 seats as part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
In the 2005 Bihar Assembly elections, Ram Vilas Paswan, then aligned with the Congress, had contested in the February polls, which resulted in a hung assembly. With no alliance securing a majority, re-elections were held in October of the same year, following which Janata Dal (United) emerged as the single largest party with 88 seats. The JD(U) subsequently formed the government with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won 55 seats, thereby increasing the NDA's tally to 143.
Speaking to ANI in an exclusive interview, Chirag Paswan said, "I also do meditations, and am connected spiritually, and when BJP told me this 29 seats, even though one seat was left, ofcourse It cannot be a mere coincidence that after all the negotiations come to a halt at a number which is proving to be very important for my party, the number which my father was also blessed with, so somewhere I was looking forward to this as a sign from my father that he had won 29 seats and today I am getting the opportunity to contest 29 seats."
However, the LJP-RV is currently facing a hurdle in the Marhaura constituency, where the nomination of its candidate, Seema Singh, was rejected due to an error in her nomination form. The party is now exploring legal options and is in talks with the Election Commission of India (ECI) to allow the candidate to contest.
"The seat you mentioned, we are talking with the Election Commission, because I think it was a human error, because of which his nomination was stopped, but I believe the poll body will consider that. We will work on all the legal provisions, we will work on the options. It was a human error that led to her nomination papers being rejected. 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", he said.
Under the NDA seat-sharing arrangement, LJP-RV is contesting 29 out of the 243 assembly seats, while BJP and JD(U) will field candidates in 101 seats each. The remaining NDA allies, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), will contest six seats each.
While the NDA has announced candidates for both phases of the elections, the Mahagathbandhan, comprising the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) and Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP), appears to be grappling with internal coordination. Although Congress and the RJD have declared their candidates, the alliance has yet to formally announce its seat-sharing formula.
Bihar will go to the polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with counting of votes to be held on November 14. (ANI)