Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Sunday confirmed he will contest the Bihar assembly elections, due later this year. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief made the announcement at a rally in Ara in Bhojpur district where he sounded his party's poll bugle.

"I will contest the assembly polls in Bihar. I will contest not just in Bihar but for Bihar and its people. I am the son of Ram Vilas Paswan. I will realise the dreams of my father and work for 'Bihar first, Bihari first' to change Bihar," news agency PTI quoted Paswan as saying. The Hajipur MP was recalling a slogan he had coined ahead of the previous 2020 assembly polls.

On the question of which assembly seat he would contest, Paswan replied this would be decided by the people of the state.

"It is for the people of Bihar to decide from which seat in the state I should contest in the upcoming assembly polls. Whenever I take a political decision, I take it for the sake of the state and its people," the actor-turned-politician said.

Further, Paswan stated that his plans to contest the elections - preferably from an unreserved constituency - should not be seen as his alleged chief ministerial ambition.

"Let me make one thing very clear. My contest will only ensure a better strike rate for my party, which would help the NDA," he stated.

Source: Times of India.