In Bihar, BJP's Tejasvi Surya heaps praise on special friend Chirag Paswan; spares Nitish

Amid LJP chief Chirag Paswan's continuous attack on Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, and JDU hinting at former party VP Prashant Kishor's role behind it, now, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya has heaped praises on the Paswan scion. BJP MP Surya who is in Bihar to campaign for the upcoming assembly elections in the state said that Chirag Paswan is a special friend and he has made his position very clear. Surya, however, re-emphasized that Nitish Kumar will be the CM if NDA wins the elections, even as Chirag Paswan has been claiming that LJP and BJP will form the government and he will jail Nitish if CM is found guilty in scams.

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Speaking to reporters in Arrah, Tejasvi Surya said, "Chirag Paswan is a very energetic leader. In Parliament, he raises issues of Bihar complete with statistics. He is a well-known youth leader, a special friend and I wish him the very best." Moreover, when asked if BJP will form a government with LJP, leaving Nitish behind, Surya added that is something that will be seen after the elections.

However, the Bengaluru South MP added, "Our main leader is Nitish Kumar. He will be the Chief Minister of Bihar. The BJP and the NDA coalition will win a two-thirds majority and a Nitish Kumar government will be formed."

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LJP's poll strategy in this year's Bihar elections 

Even as LJP announced that it is quitting the NDA and will contest the Bihar polls on its own, it has claimed that Bihar will get a BJP-LJP government this year. LJP chief Chirag Paswan has said that it is because of Nitish Kumar that he is not contesting with the NDA. As the poll season heats up, he has not spared a single opportunity to attack CM Nitish, while heaping praises for PM Modi. Calling himself PM's "Hanuman", Chirag Paswan has said that BJP must attack LJP to follow "coalition dharma" with the JDU.

On claims that he is working with Prashant Kishor, Paswan had said that his party is 20-years-old and is capable of winning elections without anyone's help. Pinning the blame of these rumors on CM Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan has said that Nitish is scared. "They are spreading rumours that Prashant Kishor is backing me and I am B-team of a party. I want to clarify that the Lok Jan Shakti Party is a 20-year-old party with 51 years of the taint-free political career of Ram Vilas Paswan ji."

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Bihar elections

Bihar Assembly Elections will be held in three phases - on October 28, November 3 and November 7 - and counting of votes will be held on November 10. Nitish Kumar is seeking reelection and is the CM face for the NDA. Mahagathbandhan has chosen Tejashwi Yadav as their CM face. The BJP is contesting on a seat-sharing formula of 121-122 seats with the JDU and Mukesh Sahni of Vikasheel Insaan party and Jitan Ram Manjhi of HAM(S), while LJP will contest solo. Mahagathbandhan comprising of Congress and three left parties have are contesting on seat-sharing formula of 144-70-29 seats respectively. 

There are two other alliances in fray - Owaisi's AIMIM has stitched an alliance with Upendra Kushwaha-led RLSP, Mayawati's BSP, Devendra Yadav's SJDD, and SBSP called 'Grand Democratic Secular Front'. The alliance has fielded Kushwaha as the chief ministerial face. Another alliance named 'Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA)', consist of Pappu Yadav's Jan Adhikar Party (JAP), Chandrashekhar Azad's Azad Samaj Party, MK Faizi's Social Democratic Party and Bahujan Mukti Party. They have made Pappu Yadav their CM face.

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