By Ananya Sharma 
Patna, October 10: There’s an uneasiness running through the NDA camp tonight. Phones keep ringing, aides keep whispering, and somewhere between the tea glasses and the spreadsheets, Chirag Paswan is quietly redrawing his map of Bihar.
He’s pulled back from the forty seats he first wanted, now asking for thirty-five. That climbdown, reported by Navbharat Times, might sound like a compromise, but inside his circle, they call it “discipline.” The BJP has put up its counter-offer of 26 seats, an MLC post, maybe a Rajya Sabha ticket later if things go smoothly.
A BJP district leader summed it up bluntly: “We want him with us, not above us.” That’s how the talks feel right now, polite smiles on camera, clenched jaws off it.
A Family Story Hiding in a Political One
Chirag has been through this movie before. In 2020, he went solo and hurt the NDA in dozens of seats. This year, he’s staying in the tent, but only just. The LJP (Ram Vilas) board met this week and gave him full control over the deal. The Times of India confirmed the decision no committee, no uncle, just Chirag.
And yes, Pashupati Kumar Paras couldn’t resist a jab. He promised publicly to “crush” his nephew in the polls. The quote ran on NDTV and spread like wildfire on local WhatsApp groups. It sounded more like family bitterness than political rivalry, but in Bihar, the two are never separate.
Chirag, keeping his tone measured, said only that he would keep serving as minister “till the situation requires otherwise.” To the BJP ears, that was half warning, half reminder that he still matters.
The Election Clock Starts Ticking
Paperwork has begun for Phase 1, 121 constituencies, deadline October 17, voting on November 6 and 11, counting on November 14, all confirmed by The Economic Times.
The Election Commission has loosened the ID rules this year. 12 different documents will work at polling stations, not just voter cards. And special booths are being set up for purdah-wearing women who prefer privacy while voting. These small fixes tell their own story about Bihar’s social knots.
Security teams are already rolling out. 824 flying squads, each with a magistrate and camera crew, will move around checking for cash and liquor. 1,200 battalions of central forces will stand guard once campaigning hits fever pitch. Everyone here remembers how ugly it can get.
Tejashwi’s Job Card
Across the aisle, Tejashwi Yadav has chosen one word: naukri. His promise was “one government job per family.” It sounds impossible, but it’s catching fire in rallies. Unemployment here isn’t a statistic; it’s dinner-table grief.
The NDA mocked him. “Next he’ll give farmhouses on the moon,” a BJP spokesperson said, according to Navbharat Times. People laughed, though not all for the same reason. Some because it was funny, some because it wasn’t untrue that jobs are missing from the ground.
Why the 26 Seats Matter
For the BJP, giving LJP (RV) those 25 or 26 seats isn’t just generosity. It’s insurance, a way to hold on to Dalit votes and young first-timers who still speak of Ram Vilas Paswan with warmth.
Chirag’s role has become less about numbers and more about face. He brings glamour, camera time,and a sense that the NDA isn’t just grey hair and slogans. “He talks like Mumbai but fights like Jamui,” an old LJP worker said, grinning through betel stains.
If he seals this deal and wins even half his seats, he walks into the next Parliament as the alliance’s indispensable man. If not, he risks being remembered as the son who couldn’t keep the legacy alive.
What It All Adds Up To
Bihar’s election rhythm is starting to hum with diesel generators, loudspeakers, and sugar-laced tea. Behind it, the usual calculations churn: caste blocks, turnout maths, coalition egos.
In that noise, Chirag’s slow negotiation feels oddly calm. Maybe it’s confidence. Maybe it’s exhaustion. Either way, it’s his best chance yet to turn a surname into real political weight.
A senior BJP hand put it quietly after midnight: “He knows we can’t drop him. And we know he can’t run alone. That’s the truce.”
No final word on the deal yet. Just waiting for the kind of Bihar that does so well.
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- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ananya/
- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ananya/
- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ananya/
- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ananya/
