The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is expected to formally propose that its leader, Chirag Paswan, contest the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. Arun Bharti, a party MP and state in-charge, who is also Paswan’s brother-in-law, has publicly urged the Union Food Processing Industries Minister to run from a general (unreserved) constituency, rather than a seat reserved for Scheduled Castes—a choice commonly made by Dalit leaders.

This move follows Paswan’s recent declaration that he wants to shift focus toward state politics. Bharti emphasized that Paswan’s “Bihar first, Bihari first” vision requires him to stay actively involved in the state and lead the party from the front. He added that party members and the public want Paswan to take on a broader leadership role by contesting from a general seat to signal his readiness to represent all sections of Bihar.

The LJP(RV)’s state executive committee has already backed Paswan’s interest in entering the state poll arena. The party ramped up its political activity after Paswan shared the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a rally in Rohtas on May 30. Following that event, the party’s national executive met in Bikramganj and unanimously passed a resolution urging Paswan to contest the assembly elections.

This push is also seen as a strategic move ahead of seat-sharing negotiations within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which includes the JD(U), HAM(S), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. LJP(RV) insiders suggest that Paswan’s candidacy could give the party more leverage in those talks. In a recent interview, Paswan said he is willing to contest if the party decides so. However, another senior party leader noted that several issues, including seat-sharing arrangements, still need to be resolved within the NDA before Paswan officially joins the state election race. The party is reportedly aiming to contest about 30 seats, based on its performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

Paswan has already met Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha to discuss the matter. After the meeting, he told the media that Nitish Kumar is likely to continue as CM after the elections. In the 2020 state polls, Paswan's decision to go solo and field candidates mostly against JD(U) significantly damaged the latter's prospects, reducing it to just 43 seats. Though LJP(RV) secured only one seat, it played spoiler in several others and later split. However, the party has since regained strength, winning all five Lok Sabha seats it contested in the 2024 general elections.

A senior LJP(RV) leader noted that in the 2015 elections, the party had contested 42 seats in alliance with the BJP and won two. Political analyst Ramashankar Arya highlighted that while LJP(RV) may have limited success in terms of seats, it attracted substantial votes in 2020, disrupting JD(U)’s chances and finishing second in nine constituencies. Arya warned, however, that JD(U) may still view Paswan with skepticism due to the past electoral rivalry.