May forge alliance or go solo: BJP ally Chirag Paswan says his party will fight Jharkhand polls

Ranchi/Dhanbad | Union minister Chirag Paswan on Sunday said his party, LJP (Ram Vilas), would contest the assembly elections in Jharkhand, and all options were being explored, including forging an alliance or going solo, for it.

Paswan's statement came a day after Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is the BJP's election co-in-charge for Jharkhand, said his party would contest the polls in alliance with the AJSU Party and JD(U).

"The LJP state unit is discussing all options, including contesting the polls in alliance or alone," Paswan told reporters at the Ranchi airport on the way to Dhanbad where he addressed a rally.

LJP (Ram Vilas), which is a part of the BJP-led NDA, has a strong base in Jharkhand, he said.

"When I was born, Jharkhand was a part of Bihar. This had been my father's workplace. The party has developed a strong mass base in the state. In such a situation, it has been decided that the party will contest the upcoming assembly polls," he added.

Speaking to the press in Dhanbad, Paswan, the minister of food processing industries, said the party has already started preparations for the elections and will announce the names of its candidates soon.

Sarma had on Saturday said the BJP has reached an agreement with its allies, JD(U) and AJSU Party, on 99 per cent of the seats, and discussions were underway for the "remaining one or two seats".

He said that a formal announcement in this regard will be made after 'Pitri Paksha', which ends on October 2.

Addressing the rally at the Nehru Sports Complex Ground in Dhanbad, Paswan said, "This is the first time I have seen that a chief minister had to go to jail in Jharkhand on corruption charges."

He claimed the youth and students of Jharkhand have to migrate to other parts of the country for better opportunities.

Paswan said the upcoming election was not a battle of caste, creed or religion but a fight for a developed Jharkhand.

Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand assembly are due later this year.