Bihar polls: 'I'm alone but will try to meet your expectations,' Paswan tells LJP cadre

Ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls, LJP chief Chirag Paswan on Wednesday recalled the contributions made by his father Ram Vilas Paswan and said that he will try to live up to the expectations of the party workers. He also reiterated his call of 'Bihar First, Bihari First' and urged them to continue working hard to ensure the party's candidates win by a big margin in the upcoming elections.

'There is an excitement in the people'

Chirag Paswan, who was on a visit to Atri Assembly Constituency in Gaya late at night, said, "This is the first election when my father is not with me. I am alone but I will try my best to live up to your expectations. I am trying to reach as many places as I can, therefore, I am travelling through road and meeting as many people as possible. There is an excitement in the people for LJP due to your work." 

Chirag's father and union minister Ram Vilas Paswan had passed away earlier this month. The LJP chief on Wednesday also held a roadshow in Paliganj.

Chirag hits out at CM Nitish Kumar

Meanwhile, Chirag Paswan again attacked CM Nitish Kumar saying he has no development record to show and could return to Chief Ministerial chair only by highlighting work done under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last six years. Chirag unveiled a vision document of his party "Bihar first Bihari first" promising setting up a youth commission, creating a portal for providing employment and promoting dairy in Bihar on the pattern of Denmark.

A day after photographs showing him touching feet of Kumar at the shraddha function of his father on Tuesday which people thought ended differences between the two, Chirag who has pulled his LJP out of NDA in Bihar because of Kumar's "haughty" behaviour towards his father, returned to hard politics resuming his scathing attacks on the JD(U) chief.

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About touching Kumar's feet, Chirag has already said "its part of sanskaar (tradition) of touching feet of elders on such occasion." Kumar, Chirag and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav were captured by cameras sitting together at Brahma-Bhoj function of the late Dalit leader.

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The LJP has already released lists of a total of 136 candidates for all three phases of the Bihar polls, with many of its nominees crossing swords with the JD(U) candidates. In the process, the LJP has even fielded candidates against the BJP on nearly half-a-dozen constituencies that included Raghopur where saffron party's candidate Satish Kumar is taking on Tejashwi Yadav.

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Elections will be held in three phases in Bihar for 243 seats -- the first phase for 71 seats on October 28, the second phase for 94 seats on November 3 and the third phase for the remaining 78 seats on November 7. The results will be announced on November 10.

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(With PTI inputs)