Central minister Chirag Paswan has thrown the proverbial spanner in Bihar politics by expressing his desire to contest the fast-approaching state Legislative Assembly elections. He has, however, explained that a final decision in this regard will be taken by his party, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).

The LJP(RV) chief’s announcement might appear bewildering at first glance. Why would a central minister give up his post to become an MLA when it has already been made clear, and Paswan himself has confirmed, that the ruling NDA would go to polls under the incumbent chief minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership? And here lies the catch.

The BJP, which is now the largest constituent of the NDA in Bihar, has not categorically stated that Nitish Kumar will be their chief ministerial candidate. This deliberate ambiguity leaves the doors ajar for various post-poll possibilities.

Paswan is no longer an inexperienced leader who would take an off-the-cuff decision without examining its pros and cons. He is now 42, a third-term MP, and has displayed his maturity by making up with Nitish Kumar, a close friend of his late father, Ram Vilas Paswan. Barely five years ago, Chirag Paswan walked out of the NDA, saying Nitish Kumar’s continuation as the chief minister was unacceptable to him.........

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