Bihar: Surajbhan Singh meets Pashupati Paras during Chura-Dahi feast, intensifies reunion talks

Patna, Jan 15 (LatestNewsX) Old political allies appear to be reuniting once again in Bihar’s dynamic political landscape as strongman leader Surajbhan Singh visited Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) Chief Pashupati Kumar Paras’s residence on Thursday on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, where he participated in the traditional curd and flattened rice feast.

The meeting has drawn significant attention as it comes amid visible shifts in Bihar politics following the recent Assembly elections.

Ahead of the Assembly polls, Surajbhan Singh had parted ways with Pashupati Paras’s RLJP and joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

His wife, Veena Devi, contested the Mokama seat on an RJD ticket but was defeated by JD-U candidate Anant Singh.

Following this electoral setback, Surajbhan Singh’s political strategy appears to have changed, with his renewed proximity to Pashupati Paras sparking speculation.

Pashupati Paras’s RLJP contested the recent Bihar Assembly elections independently but failed to secure a single seat.

The party’s poor performance, coupled with Surajbhan Singh’s return to Paras’s RLJP, has intensified discussions in political circles about possible realignments.

However, the association between Surajbhan Singh and Pashupati Paras dates back to several years.

When Ram Vilas Paswan founded the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Surajbhan Singh was considered one of his most trusted leaders.

Internal differences began surfacing after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and the party suffered a major setback in the 2020 Assembly elections.

Following Ram Vilas Paswan’s death, the LJP split into two factions.

Chirag Paswan retained control of LJP (Ram Vilas), while Pashupati Paras, Prince Paswan, Chandan Singh — Surajbhan Singh’s brother — and several MPs formed a separate group.

Paras later became a Union Minister, but the NDA did not allocate any seat to his faction in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

In contrast, Chirag Paswan’s political standing within the NDA has strengthened considerably.

Against this backdrop, the renewed public appearance of Surajbhan Singh and Pashupati Paras is being seen as a signal of fresh political equations that could shape Bihar politics in the coming days.

ajk/khz