The Bihar Assembly polls have turned out to be a wave election — the kind that sweeps up not just the frontliners but also the smallest boats in its current. From Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) to Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), a range of NDA allies are riding the momentum. But, perhaps no one is riding it as spectacularly — or as consequentially — as Chirag Paswan and his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
With the LJP (RV) leading on nearly 19 out of the 29 seats it contested as per the latest trends, Chirag stands not merely as a beneficiary of a favourable tide but as a success story in his own right.
Only weeks ago, critics within the NDA accused Chirag of punching above his weight by cornering 29 seats in the seat-sharing deal, dismissing him as a “social media creation” inflated by legacy and optics. Some insiders whispered that the BJP had taken a gamble on him — rewarding him with more than his organisational strength justified. Through Friday’s results, Chirag has not only justified the allocation but also demonstrated an ability to convert political perception into electoral performance.
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At a broader level, the results cement Chirag’s position as a serious, indispensable constituent of the NDA in Bihar. He is no longer the young, untested heir to his father Ram Vilas Paswan’s legacy; he has now emerged as an electoral asset with independent vote-pulling capacity. His candidates’ performance across constituencies — especially in seats where the LJP has historically been weak — signals the rise of a new political node in the state’s power matrix.
Notably, a majority of the seats the NDA gave Chirag were ones where the alliance had performed poorly in the past. The LJP(RV)’s return to the NDA this election — after contesting the 2020 polls alone — has also added a crucial 5-6% vote share to the NDA tally, which is visible in the JD(U)’s impressive performance this time. In the 2020 polls, the JD(U) had been reduced to 43 seats, largely because the undivided LJP fielded candidates exclusively against Nitish Kumar’s party. This time, the JD(U) is leading on over 80 seats.
A Repositioning
While part of LJP (RV)’s recent successes — including its 100% strike rate in the Lok Sabha polls where it won all the five seats it contested — is attributed by many to the loyal support of the Dusadhs, Chirag’s ability to read the political wind and move with it has helped him no less. It is a trait his father displayed in abundance, prompting RJD chief Lalu Prasad to call former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan a “Mausam vigayni (weatherman).”
Yet, the results will now provide Chirag a platform to project himself as a youth leader with demonstrated electoral pull, especially among Dalits and first-time voters.
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This election repositions Chirag within the NDA in ways that will have lasting implications. Unlike in 2020, when he was seen as destabilising the alliance, 2025 marks his full integration into the NDA — and crucially, his rise as a bankable face in Bihar.
Why Chirag stands out despite the wave
It cannot be denied that the broader NDA wave has lifted all constituents. HAM(S) is showing surprising resilience even in seats it wasn’t expected to win, and the RLM is outperforming expectations in its Kushwaha belts. This is a movement-driven election in which the NDA’s combined social coalition of Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), Mahadalits, non-Yadav OBCs, and a consolidated upper-caste vote is firing together.
Yet, waves create winners of different sizes.
One of Chirag’s biggest advantages has long been his appeal to younger voters in a state where the youth bulge is politically decisive. His communication style, social media presence, and aspirational vocabulary set him apart from the older, caste-first politician archetype. But until now, this appeal remained an intangible asset — a potential that had not yet translated into concrete outcomes.
By delivering seats, Chirag can claim that Bihar’s youth — especially Dalits, Mahadalits, and non-Yadav OBC first-time voters — see him not just as a familiar surname but as a generational voice. This election elevates him into the small club of leaders, alongside Tejashwi Yadav and, in a limited urban sense, Pushpam Priya, who can realistically claim youth endorsement. But with one major difference: Chirag is on the winning side of Bihar’s mandate, giving him a platform the others currently lack.
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Implications on NDA’s power matrix
Every wave election triggers internal rearrangement. In the NDA of 2025, that reshuffling is already underway.
Nitish Kumar remains the patriarchal figure and a necessary centre of gravity, but his advancing age and the JD(U)’s lack of a strong second-rung leadership mean the BJP is recalibrating its long-term succession strategy in Bihar. Chirag’s performance gives the BJP something it badly wanted: a strong future ally who can command a significant chunk of Dalit and youth votes while staying firmly aligned with the NDA.
However, given the historically strained relations between the JD(U) and the LJP (RV), a stronger Chirag could create more friction within the alliance.
The results have dramatically enhanced Chirag’s bargaining power. He could now have greater influence in Cabinet formation, demand (and likely receive) more prominent portfolios for his party, and even emerge as a contender for Deputy CM if the BJP opts for inter-generational balancing. He also gains negotiating leverage for future Lok Sabha seat-sharing. These are ambitions the BJP and JD(U) will have to manage tactfully.
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Among the few leaders emerging stronger after this repositioning, Chirag will stand tallest. As the young face of an NDA entering its next phase — and one of Bihar’s most consequential political players for the coming decade — his next challenge will be to expand his party’s appeal beyond the Dusadhs and a slice of the EBCs.