Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 | RJD had refused to name Muslim as CM in 2005: Chirag Paswan's minority reach-out

New Delhi: Claiming that his father Ram Vilas Paswan wanted a Muslim chief minister for Bihar in 2005 but the RJD did not agree to it, LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan on Saturday sought to reach out to the minority community, asking how will they get “respect” if they continue to remain a “bonded vote bank”.

“In 2005, my leader, my father, late Ram Vilas Paswan ji even sacrificed his own party to make a Muslim chief minister - yet even then, you did not support him,” Chirag said in a post on X apparently directed at the minority community ahead of assembly polls in Bihar.

“RJD was not ready for a Muslim chief minister even in 2005. And today in 2025, it is neither ready to give a Muslim chief minister nor a deputy chief minister (to Bihar),” said the LJP (Ram Vilas) president, who is also a Union minister and whose party is a member of the NDA.

“If you remain a bonded vote bank, how will you get respect and participation?” he asked.

Endorsing Chirag’s remarks, BJP national spokesperson Syed Shanawaz Hussain said it is true that in 2005, Ram Vilas Paswan had asked RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav to make a Muslim chief minister of Bihar to get the support of the LJP.

“But Lalu Prasad did not agree to it and their government could not be formed,” Hussain told PTI Videos when asked about it.

“The BJP leader said this time also RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has kept the CM post for himself, not for the Muslim community, which is much bigger than that of Tejashwi Yadav,” the BJP leader said.

The Mahagathbandhan, which claims to be the sole well-wisher of the minority community, did not announce any Muslim as its Deputy CM candidate, he said.

“This makes one thing clear that there is no place for the Muslim community in the RJD. The RJD considers the Muslim community as its vote bank only,” Hussain alleged.

The elections to the 243-member Bihar Assembly were held twice in 2005 as the state witnessed a fractured mandate in the polls held first in February.

The NDA, comprising the JD(U) and the BJP, ended up securing just 92 seats in this election, while the RJD won 75 seats, the LJP 29 seats and the Congress 10 seats.

Despite emerging as the single largest party, the RJD could not form a coalition government with the Congress and the LJP, as Paswan said that his party would extend its support only when a Muslim is made the chief minister of the state.

Since no government could be formed in Bihar, fresh elections were held in October–November in the same year, in which the NDA secured the majority and formed its government with Janata Dal (United) emerging as the single largest party with 88 seats and the BJP 55.

The RJD ended up winning 54 seats, while the LJP won 19 seats and the Congress just one seat.