Chirag Paswan Emerges Ss Bihar’s New Political Powerhouse, Poised To Match His Father’s Legacy

Chirag Paswan’s impressive showing in the Bihar elections marks a turning point in his political journey, reflecting a sense of poetic justice after years spent fighting to uphold the legacy of his late father, Ram Vilas Paswan. Once pushed to the margins and grappling with a split in the Lok Janshakti Party, Chirag has now powered his faction, LJP (Ram Vilas), to one of its best-ever results.

Despite initial scepticism over the NDA’s decision to allot him 29 seats, Chirag justified the BJP’s trust by delivering a strong performance. With this, he comes close to replicating the LJP’s 2005 high of 29 seats — a milestone many thought would be impossible for him after internal rebellions and public setbacks, including his eviction from his father’s former residence.

Though the BJP had once backed his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, Chirag refused to be deterred. The electoral split led to the Election Commission freezing the old party symbol and name, forcing both sides to rebuild their identities. While the Paras camp struggled to stay politically relevant, Chirag doubled down on his loyalty to the BJP while speaking independently on issues affecting minorities and development.

Recognised by the BJP as the natural inheritor of Ram Vilas Paswan’s legacy, he was inducted as a Union Minister last year. Yet, throughout the Bihar campaign, Chirag made it clear that his heart remained in state politics and that he was open to taking on the chief minister’s role.

In interviews, he spoke of returning to politics for “Bihar and Biharis”, outlining his vision for better jobs, revenue growth, education, and healthcare. His dynamic campaigning — covering 173 public meetings, the most of any NDA leader — helped cement his popularity. He now stands among the alliance’s top five star campaigners, alongside Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath and Nitish Kumar.

BJP leaders praised Chirag’s sharp political instincts and his ability to attract support across communities, especially women and the youth — a combination he described as his own ‘MY’ formula, in contrast to the RJD’s traditional Muslim-Yadav base. This rise poses a fresh challenge to Tejashwi Yadav, who has been relying heavily on his own youth appeal and development agenda.

Chirag’s growing stature also helped counter claims by the opposition that the NDA lacked a strong leader due to Nitish Kumar’s health concerns. His presence strengthened an alliance often accused of internal rifts.

Rejecting suggestions that he acted as a BJP proxy in 2020 to weaken the JD(U), Chirag insisted that such narratives were spread by political rivals unable to match a united NDA.

As the results unfolded, the 43-year-old leader had every reason to celebrate — firmly establishing himself as Bihar’s newest political powerhouse and a central figure in its future leadership landscape.