Before Bihar elections, Digvijaya Singh goads Paswans to join Congress amid LJP-JDU tussle

As the poll campaign begins in Bihar, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh while addressing his party's virtual rally said that Ram Vilas Paswan and Chirag Paswan should quit the NDA and join the Congress-led by 'revolutionaries'. He said that 'God should give them good sense' so that they quit the 'communal forces' and work for the benefit of the people of the state.

Digvijaya Singh remarked that the contest in this year's assembly polls is of ideology and targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a range of issues including the migrant crisis that resulted as the Covid lockdown began. He also slammed Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM by calling it 'a party that takes money from the BJP.' The former Madhya Pradesh CM praised former Bihar CM and RJD chief Lalu Yadav, who is currently in jail. 

"I hope God gives good sense to Ram Vilas Paswan, Chirag Paswan and join Congress which is being led by revolutionaries like Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. I hope they quit opportunists like Nitish Kumar and communal force like BJP and join Congress," Digvijaya Singh said. 

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JDU vs LJP

While the BJP has already announced that NDA will contest the polls under the leadership of CM Nitish Kumar, Lok Janshakti Party has said that it will decide for itself. Chirag Paswan led LJP met on September 7 and sources said that they have decided to contest on 143 seats. Sources say if the NDA does not agree to their poll terms, they may contest the upcoming elections against the ruling JDU.

Meanwhile, sounding the poll bugle, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched his re-election campaign with a 'Nischay Samwaad' rally on Monday. In a marathon three hour speech, Nitish Kumar attacked the Lalu family and chose to end his speech by mentioning deceased actor Sushant Singh Rajput. On the other hand, a war-of-words has broken out between the LJP and the JDU with JDU chief KC Tyagi stating that Paswan's party is 'free to go' if they have a problem with Nitish's leadership. To this, Ram Vilas Paswan who is also a Union Minister, said that JDU has made 'things better for them.'

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Bihar elections 2020

Amid rising COVID-19 cases, Bihar is all set to go to polls for a 243-member assembly seat in October-November. The Election Commission has issued directives to conduct election amid COVID, however, the dates are yet to be announced. In the 2015 assembly polls, CM Nitish Kumar's JDU, then a part of the Mahagathbandhan won 71 seats, Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD won 80 seats, and Congress won 27 seats. The BJP which fought the elections alone after Kumar in 2013 broke the 17-year-old alliance won a mere 53 seats out of 157 contested. However, the saffron party came back to power when Kumar ditched the Mahagathbandhan and once again stitched an alliance with the BJP.

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