'Preparing for all UP seats': Chirag Paswan's response after another BJP ally's warning

Union minister's remarks comes a day after BJP ally in UP, the SBSP, warned against the entry of "Bihar parties"; LJP (RV) leaders say party looking to expand beyond Bihar

Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Thursday said his party was preparing to contest all 403 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh if alliance talks with the BJP failed.

"As a political party, we are preparing to contest all seats (in UP). We have been speaking to the BJP on an alliance. But if all alliance talks fail, we would contest all seats," he told reporters in Varanasi.

However, speaking to The Indian Express later, Chirag clarified his remarks saying they were made only in the context of how a party prepares for elections. "I am very happy that UP CM Yogi Adityanath came to our function in Lucknow last month to pay tributes to my late father (former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan). Yogiji's kind words for my father and his presence at the function are a validation of our party's growing strength beyond Bihar," he said, adding that the party had already organised several programmes in UP. "We are getting an encouraging response."

Chirag's remarks come a day after NDA ally, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), led by Om Prakash Rajbhar, indicated that it will oppose Bihar-based parties' attempts to expand in Uttar Pradesh.

"When we were not allowed to be part of the NDA in Bihar, we will not allow Bihar's entry into Uttar Pradesh. No matter which party it is. If that happens, the SBSP will consider other options," SBSP national general secretary Arvind Rajbhar has said.

The SBSP had sought to contest the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections as part of the NDA but was denied. It subsequently contested select seats in Bihar independently and extended support to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), but failed to make a significant electoral impact.

Meanwhile, a LJP (RV) leader in Patna said the party, which won 19 of the 29 seats it contested in last year's Bihar Assembly elections, was looking to expand its footprint beyond the state. The party has two MLAs in Nagaland.

With five Lok Sabha MPs, the LJP (RV) is the fourth-largest ally of the BJP-led NDA in Parliament, after the Telugu Desam Party (16 MPs), the Janata Dal (United) (12) and the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde (13).

Differing with NDA

While remaining an important NDA ally at the Centre, Chirag has sought to maintain an independent political identity, often taking positions that differ from those of the BJP on key policy issues.

He was among the first NDA allies to ask the Election Commission (EC) to explain its position following a recent investigation by The Indian Express.

He also publicly opposed the Union Public Service Commission's lateral entry recruitment initiative, describing the appointment of bureaucrats through direct recruitment without provisions for affirmative action and reservations as "completely wrong". The government subsequently withdrew the advertisement.

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Similarly, Chirag criticised the directives issued by BJP-ruled states requiring eateries along Kanwar Yatra routes to display the names of their owners. He said he would never support divisions created in the name of caste or religion.

On the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, he advocated a more inclusive approach, calling for wider public and parliamentary scrutiny through a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).

In Bihar, too, Chirag has periodically raised concerns over law-and-order incidents and police action under the ruling coalition. He has maintained that being part of an alliance does not mean compromising on one's principles or becoming "spineless".