Two Paswans plus Nitish with it now, BJP tries to work out a please-all equation, with one eye on RJD

ITS FLURRY of tie-ups and induction of leaders from other parties would eventually have led to the situation the the BJP finds itself facing in Bihar: a problem of plenty. Having signed up with the JD(U), it now has to not just find a way to keep Chirag Paswan and his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) happy, but also his estranged uncle by its side.

Jamui MP Chirag Paswan was the BJP’s most important and steadfast ally in the state before CM and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar returned to the NDA with a bang in January. Realising that he had been pushed down the pecking order, the RJD has reportedly acted quickly and offered Chirag eight Lok Sabha seats should he switch sides to the Mahagathbandhan. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s offer is at least two more than the maximum Chirag can expect from the BJP.

Sources said that the BJP is weighing what to do now. While some are of the view that it is nothing but a pressure tactic by Chirag to wrest a larger share of seats for his party, his base of 6-7% votes across the state means taking a chance could prove risky.

An RJD leader said: “Chirag and Tejashwi share great mutual respect. We have always had a standing offer for him. It is his call. After all, Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan shared great political ties.”

Apart from Chirag, the BJP also has to placate his uncle, Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras, who heads the National Lok Janshakti Party (NLJP), and is also an NDA ally. Both Paras and Pashupati claim to be the real inheritors of Paswan’s political legacy.

A BJP leader admitted: “In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, we won 39 out of 40 seats in Bihar with the LJP and the JD(U) as our allies. This is a winning combination. We can’t afford to disturb it, but our challenge is how and