Setback for NDA: Pashupati Paras quits bloc ahead of Bihar elections, hints at future alliance with RJD-led Mahagathbandhan

Pashupati Kumar Paras, the chief of the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP), declared the party's exit from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), citing neglect and injustice primarily due to its Dalit identity.

Paras stated, "I have been with the NDA since 2014. Today I announce that henceforth my party shall have no links with the NDA." This decision was announced on BR Ambedkar's birth anniversary, highlighting the symbolic significance of the move.

The RLJP, established by Paras in 2021 after a split from the Lok Janshakti Party, faced what it perceived as a lack of proper recognition by the BJP and JDU leadership in Bihar, particularly during NDA meetings. Paras gave up his cabinet position last year ahead of the Lok Sabha elections when his nephew's faction was allotted five seats to contest as part of the NDA.

Additionally, Paras criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's governance, noting, "In Nitish Kumar's 20-year-long rule, the education system has been ruined in the state, no new industries have been set up, and rampant corruption affects the implementation of all welfare schemes."

Previously, Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, leader of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and an NDA ally, also voiced discontent, claiming HAM was not given a fair deal in the Lok Sabha elections. He noted, "My party workers have been feeling sidelined by the BJP and JD(U). Both Nadda and Jha have assured me that our concerns will be addressed squarely in the assembly polls due later this year."

Manjhi seeks to contest 35-40 seats in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections to push HAM's pro-Dalit agenda effectively. The NDA alliance in Bihar includes several key players, such as the JD(U), BJP, HAM, Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha.

Despite the internal tensions, Manjhi asserted, "there will be no adverse impact on the NDA." However, Paras hinted at the RLJP's potential future alignment with the Mahagathbandhan, stating, "If Mahagathbandhan gives us proper respect at the right time, we will definitely think of politics in the future."

Manjhi further expressed the belief that winning 20 or more MLA seats would enable HAM to advance its agenda regardless of who holds the chief minister's position.

"It has been my view that if HAM has 20 MLAs, the party will be able to push its pro-Dalit agenda effectively, no matter who is the chief minister. For a tally of 20 or more, we must get 35-40 seats to contest."