📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ministry of Food Processing Industries
Politics
Chirag Paswan Says He Could Contest All 403 UP Seats If No Alliance Pact
✍️ NDTV
🗓 05 Nov 2026, 09:31 PM
👁 12
Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan told NDTV he is prepared to field candidates for every constituency in Uttar Pradesh if the BJP does not finalize a seat‑sharing agreement.
Chirag Paswan, head of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and a long‑time ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said on NDTV that his party is ready to contest all 403 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh should the BJP fail to reach a seat‑sharing pact for the upcoming state elections.
Paswan pointed to the party’s performance in Nagaland, where LJP fielded candidates across the entire state, as a precedent for a full‑scale contest in the nation’s most populous state. He argued that a comprehensive contest would give voters a clear alternative and strengthen the LJP’s bargaining position.
The statement comes amid ongoing negotiations between the BJP and its regional partners, where the allocation of seats has become a critical issue. Analysts say Paswan’s readiness to go solo could pressure the BJP to offer a more favorable share to the LJP, or risk fragmenting the anti‑Congress vote in key constituencies.
While Paswan did not disclose specific numbers of candidates or a timeline, he emphasized that the decision would be taken only after the alliance talks conclude, underscoring the fluid nature of pre‑election alliances in Uttar Pradesh.
Paswan pointed to the party’s performance in Nagaland, where LJP fielded candidates across the entire state, as a precedent for a full‑scale contest in the nation’s most populous state. He argued that a comprehensive contest would give voters a clear alternative and strengthen the LJP’s bargaining position.
The statement comes amid ongoing negotiations between the BJP and its regional partners, where the allocation of seats has become a critical issue. Analysts say Paswan’s readiness to go solo could pressure the BJP to offer a more favorable share to the LJP, or risk fragmenting the anti‑Congress vote in key constituencies.
While Paswan did not disclose specific numbers of candidates or a timeline, he emphasized that the decision would be taken only after the alliance talks conclude, underscoring the fluid nature of pre‑election alliances in Uttar Pradesh.