Chirag Paswan will meet Amit Shah in Delhi; is a return to the NDA imminent?

Chirag Paswan, the leader of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), is expected to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the nation's capital amid rumors that he will rejoin the NDA prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

According to sources, Paswan is in Delhi and has asked Shah for time for the meeting, but he hasn't yet received an appointment.

This comes after the leader of the LJP (Ram Vilas) hinted at joining the NDA, which he had run for in the most recent Bihar by-elections.

The sources claim that Paswan has presented the BJP with his terms and conditions for the alliance. In the next elections, he is running for one seat in the Rajya Sabha and between six and seven seats in the Lok Sabha.

Additionally, he informed the BJP that he would not form an alliance with his uncle Pashpati Paras.

"Paswan has requested that the BJP announce the Lok Sabha seats that his party will run for well in advance. Additionally, he wants to focus on defeating Surjabhan Singh from Nawada, whom he holds responsible for the division in his family and party, according to sources.

Paswan met with senior BJP leader and Union minister Nityanand Rai a day ago. Rai referred to the Paswans' home as his "second home."

Chirag responded, "It will be against the 'maryada' (decorum) of a coalition for me to make any announcement before them," when asked if he would consider joining the NDA. Before making a decision, the alliance (NDA) is probably going to have another round of discussions.

Although Chirag is well known for his love of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his affinity for the BJP, there is a bit of a thorn in the flesh. A minister in the Union cabinet, his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras led an uprising shortly after his father's passing that caused the LJP to split.

Both the uncle and the nephew have made it clear on multiple occasions that they will not join any coalition that involves the other.

Chirag made it clear that his party will "without any doubt" run in the Lok Sabha elections from Hajipur, which his uncle currently holds and which his father had cultivated over several terms, but he did not make any new remarks regarding his uncle on Sunday.

Chirag, a Jamui MP serving a second term, was questioned about whether he had received an offer to join the Union council of ministers.

"Prospects in Lok Sabha and assembly elections will have a greater impact on my decision to join a coalition than a ministerial position," he stated.

In the 2020 assembly elections, Chirag rebelled against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar by fielding candidates against the JD(U), which saw a sharp decline in its number.