My detractors conspiring to blow me up with bomb: Chirag Paswan tells rally in Bihar's Munger
Munger (Bihar), Jul 19 (PTI): In a sensational claim, Union minister Chirag Paswan on Saturday told a rally in Bihar that a "conspiracy" to blow him up "with a bomb" has been hatched by his detractors, who have ceaselessly tried to "break" him.
The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president made the statement in Munger district, where he hurled several barbs at his estranged uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, and Lalu Prasad's RJD with which the latter has aligned, without mentioning by name any of his opponents.
"Many people are upset with Chirag Paswan's 'Bihar First, Bihari First' slogan, which strikes at the roots of their caste politics. Such people had caused the state to sink in poverty and backwardness while in power and now, ahead of the Assembly polls, they are trying to fob people off with false promises", said the Hajipur MP, in remarks that may be seen as aimed at Prasad's younger son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav, who is heading the INDIA bloc charge in the state.
Paswan, who had ended up isolated in the Lok Janshakti Party founded by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan, as a result of a split engineered by Paras, also spoke of the days he had to spend in political wilderness until he was redeemed by the BJP, with an offer of alliance in Lok Sabha polls last year.
"There have always been attempts by Chirag Paswan's detractors to stop him. They split his party and, later, got him dragged out of his house, leaving him to fend for himself on the streets. But nothing could break Chirag Paswan", said the 43-year-old leader, who of late has been referring to himself in the third person at public meetings.
Paswan's uncle, after splitting the party, had landed a berth in the Narendra Modi government while the founder's son was forced to vacate the 12, Janpath bungalow in New Delhi which had for years served as the residence of the late leader and the office of the LJP.
The LJP has since ceased to exist and splinter groups headed by the nephew and the uncle, whose party is called Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, have been recognised as separate political entities by the Election Commission.
Paras, who had defended the split in 2021, voicing disapproval of his nephew's revolt against the NDA in Assembly polls held a year earlier, ended up quitting the BJP-led coalition following the saffron party's decision to accommodate the latter.
He finally announced his exit from the NDA a few months ago and last week Tejashwi Yadav made it clear that Paras "has already been working as one of our allies" and would soon be formally inducted into the opposition coalition.
Paswan, after speaking at length about the failed attempts to "break him", said "now they have hatched a new conspiracy. They are now trying to blow me up with a bomb (bomb se uda denge)".
"But they forget that Chirag Paswan is a tiger's cub (sher ka beta). He does not know how to bend and it is impossible to scare him", said the Union minister.
Members of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), when asked about their president's stunning claim, replied on condition of anonymity that "it may have been a reference to the FIR lodged recently against a social media troll. Chirag ji may have made use of it for rhetoric".
The allusion was to a police complaint lodged at cyber police station in Patna, by the party's chief spokesman Rajesh Kumar Bhatt, against an Instagram user who had threatened to blow up Paswan.
Although the police complaint spoke about "people afraid of Chirag Paswan's growing popularity", it made no mention of any particular party or individual. Nonetheless, the LJP(RV) had alleged on its social media handles that the Instagram user was "an RJD supporter".
VIDEO | Bihar: Addressing a public meeting in Munger, Union Minister Chirag Paswan (@iChiragPaswan) says, "It suits the opposition leaders to divide us based on caste and religion. They understand that if we, especially the youth of Bihar, come together, then not only Bihar, but… pic.twitter.com/AkIobDjO5j
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 19, 2025
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West Bengal exit polls: People’s Pulse projects TMC lead, others predict BJP surge
Kolkata: Exit polls for the West Bengal Assembly Election 2026 have shown different projections, with some surveys indicating a lead for the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), while others suggest an advantage for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
According to People’s Pulse, the TMC+ alliance is projected to win between 177 and 187 seats in the 294-member Assembly.
The BJP is estimated to secure between 95 and 110 seats, while the Left Front+ is predicted to win up to one seat. The Congress (INC) is likely to get between one and three seats, and others are projected to win between one and two seats.
Matrize projections indicate a different trend, with the BJP projected to win between 146 and 161 seats, crossing the majority mark of 148, with a vote share of 42.5 per cent. The TMC is estimated to win between 125 and 140 seats with a vote share of 40.8 per cent.
P-MARQ has also projected a BJP lead, estimating the party to win between 150 and 175 seats, while the TMC+ alliance is expected to secure between 118 and 138 seats. The same survey projects Congress to win between 2 and 6 seats.
Poll Diary estimates suggest the BJP may win between 142 and 171 seats, while the TMC could secure between 99 and 127 seats. Other parties are projected to win between 5 and 9 seats.
Chanakya Strategies has projected the BJP to win between 150 and 160 seats, while the TMC is estimated to get between 130 and 140 seats. Others are expected to secure between 6 and 10 seats, while Congress and Left are projected at zero.
ABP projections estimate the BJP to win between 146 and 161 seats, while the TMC is expected to secure between 125 and 140 seats. Others are projected to win between 6 and 10 seats.
Polls in the state were held in two phases on April 23 and 29, and the counting of votes is scheduled to take place on May 4.
