Chirag Paswan reminded the incident of 2005, when his father Ram Vilas Paswan had put the condition of Muslim CM. RJD did not agree even though LJP had 29 MLAs, due to which the party broke. Chirag has accused RJD of ignoring Muslim interests.
Patna: In the Bihar Assembly elections 2025, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) President Chirag Paswan has once again recalled the historic and decisive political incident of 2005, which broke his father late Ram Vilas Paswan’s party LJP (LJP). Chirag claims that his father even sacrificed his party to make him a Muslim Chief Minister, but RJD was not ready for it. This incident took place in the 2005 Bihar Assembly elections, which proved to be the most ambitious but also the most tragic chapter of Ram Vilas Paswan’s political career.
2005 election arithmetic and Paswan’s ambition
In the Bihar Assembly elections held in February 2005, LJP, along with Congress, had entered as a third front against Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD and Nitish Kumar’s NDA (JDU-BJP). Paswan’s strategy was to establish his political power by forming a Dalit-Muslim alliance.
March 2005 election results
- The results were shocking. Out of the total 243 seats in the Assembly, no one got a clear majority.
- RJD got 75 seats.
- NDA (JDU-BJP) got 92 seats.
- LJP performed brilliantly and secured 29 seats.
- The magic figure of majority was 122.
- Paswan became the kingmaker, but he decided to support neither RJD nor NDA.
Demand for ‘Muslim Chief Minister’ and deadlock
Despite having the keys to power in his hands, Ram Vilas Paswan put an unexpected condition. His demand was that a Muslim leader should be made the Chief Minister of Bihar. He made it clear that he would support neither Lalu Yadav nor Nitish Kumar, leading to a constitutional deadlock in the state.
Paswan’s objective behind this demand was to give a strong political message to the Muslim community that he can go to any extent for their interests. However, due to his ‘stubbornness’ the government could not be formed and President’s rule was imposed in Bihar.
Nitish Kumar’s ‘sacrificing’ strategy
When Paswan remained adamant on his demand for a ‘Muslim Chief Minister’ and refused to support any alliance, Nitish Kumar took advantage of LJP’s internal weaknesses.
Paswan’s party depended largely on family and his personal appeal, and its organizational structure was weak. Nitish Kumar made a strategy to create dissatisfaction among 29 LJP MLAs.
How did Nitish’s strategy work?
- Revolt: Soon after the February elections, 12 LJP MLAs rebelled against Ram Vilas Paswan.
- Greed: Nitish Kumar assured these rebel MLAs that they would be fielded on JDU ticket in the next elections to be held in October-November 2005.
- Family breakdown: The biggest shock came when Ram Vilas Paswan’s close relative and brother Pashupati Kumar Paras also joined the rebellion.
This rebellion tore Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP with 29 MLAs into two and weakened the party so much that when re-elections were held in October 2005 after President’s rule, LJP’s performance was very disappointing and it was out of the race for power in Bihar.
Presently Chirag attacks RJD
Today Chirag Paswan is targeting RJD by remembering the incident of 2005. He argues that if RJD had agreed to make a Muslim Chief Minister at that time, the history of Bihar would have been different.
Taking a jibe at the Grand Alliance, Chirag said, “RJD was not ready for a Muslim Chief Minister even in 2005, today even in 2025 it is ready to give neither a Muslim Chief Minister nor a Deputy Chief Minister! If you remain as a bonded vote bank, then how will you get respect and participation?”
However, many questions are being raised on this statement of Chirag, because his own party has not given ticket to even a single Muslim candidate on 29 seats in this election. Despite this, remembering the history of 2005, Chirag Paswan has once again tried to corner the Grand Alliance on the issue of representation of the Muslim community.