EC freezes LJP's symbol; 'Neither Chirag Paswan nor Pashupati Paras permitted to use'

In a key development ahead of by-polls in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday, froze the name and the symbol of the Lok Janshakti Party. The ECI has said that neither now-ousted chief Chirag Paswan nor his uncle and the new chief of the party Pashupati Paras will be permitted to use the name or symbol of LJP. As an interim measure, the ECI has asked both Chirag Paswan and Pashupati Paras to choose the names and the symbols which may be allotted to the candidates set up, if any, by the respective groups.

This comes at a time when the nomination for the two Assembly by-polls seats- Tarapur in Munger and Kusheshwar Asthan in Darbhanga — in Bihar is still underway. The by-polls for the two Assembly seats are scheduled for October 30. The results of the same will be announced on November 2. 

Chirag writes to EC to reject a claim of Pashupati Paras over LJP symbol 

On Friday, Chirag Paswan had written to the ECI, staking claim over LJP's name and symbol, and had asked the governing body to reject Pashupati Paras' claim over the party's marks, claiming that he was the party president, not his uncle. 

For months now, Chirag Paswan has been in a tussle for the presidentship of LJP, the party his late father and MP Ram Vilas Paswan formed with Pashupati Kumar Paras. In June, Pashupati Kumar Paras, along with five other MPs, had met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and handed over a letter to him seeking the removal of Chirag Paswan as party chief and Lok Sabha Parliamentary party leader. Accepting the letter, Om Birla had declared Pashupati Kumar Paras as the leader of the LJP in the Lower House. 

Later, Chirag Paswan had written to Om Birla stating that the declaration of Pashupati Kumar Paras as the leader of the house was against the provision of the 'party's constitution'.