Bihar Assembly election 2020: No ‘Chirag’ at the end of the LJP tunnel

All dressed up and nowhere to go. This is how one would sum up the performance of LJP chief Chirag Paswan, who won just one seat out of 137 seats, that his pocket organisation had contested in the 2020 Bihar Assembly election.

And most of the LJP contestants were fielded against the JD(U) nominees, reportedly under a well-crafted plan to clip Nitish Kumar’s wings.

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"The BJP and the LJP together will form the government after the polls...my only aim is to ensure Nitish is defeated and jailed for corruption allegations against him,” shouted Chirag at each of his rallies.

The BJP, which distanced itself from Chirag, threw the LJP out of the Bihar NDA and stood by Nitish Kumar. They repeatedly stated that Nitish was the NDA's chief ministerial candidate.

This was Chirag's first Assembly polls without his father Ram Vilas Paswan, who passed away last month. He fielded most of the BJP rebels as the LJP nominees against the JD(U) candidates.

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Though the LJP could not make much headway, it succeeded in causing immense damage to Nitish. If the JD(U)’s strength has shrunk dramatically in the state it has been ruling since 2005, it’s because of the LJP. In the process, however, the LJP has made more enemies than friends.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not acknowledge Chirag when he declared that he was the "Hanuman of Modi" and would destroy "Nitish’s Lanka". In private, the BJP leaders did not hide their glee about Chirag throwing dirt on Nitish.

10 key takeaways from Bihar Election results 2020

With his pathetic performance at the polls, there appears to be no 'Chirag' (light) at the end of the LJP tunnel.

This is the first time since the LJP was formed in 2000 that the party has failed to win a single seat. The absence of the senior Paswan has only compounded the problems for the party.

This may be the beginning of the end for the LJP.