NEW DELHI/PATNA: Before these polls, Chirag Paswan had described himself as "sabji mein namak" (salt in vegetables), which is essential to any political broth. Winning 19 of the 29 seats his party contested, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief proved his mettle again in Bihar as his performance propelled NDA past the 200-seat mark. What makes the showing more significant is that LJP (RV) has wrested 17 seats from Mahagathbandhan despite talk of discontent around candidate selection. Chirag's rise in Bihar became evident during seat-sharing talks, when his party got a fair share despite only one of its 143 candidates winning during the 2020 assembly polls. His bargaining power came from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when LJP(RV) won all five seats it fought.

At a time when th

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